
London,, him. W. Parker, /$47 



THE 



GOSPEL-NARRATIVE, 



ACCORDING TO THE AUTHORIZED TEXT OF THE EVANGELISTS, 



WITHOUT REPETITION OR OMISSION. 



WITH 

A CONTINUOUS EXPOSITION, MARGINAL PROOFS IN FULL, AND NOTES, 

BRIEFLY COLLECTED FROM THE BEST CRITICS ANL> COMMENTATORS. 



BY THE 

REV. JOHN FOR STE R, M.A. 

HER MAJESTY'S CHAPLAIN OF THE SAVOY 



THE THIRD EDITION, CORRECTED. 



LONDON: 

JOHN W. PARKER, WEST STRAND. 



M.DCCC. XL VII. 



LONDON : 
HARRISON AND CO., PRINTERS, 
ST. MARTIN'S LANE. 



VP 



TO 

HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY 

QUEEN VICTORIA, 

DUCHESS OF LANCASTER, 

THIS VOLUME, 

VHICH HUMBLY ATTEMPTS, BY CONCENTRATING THE PIOUS LABOURS OF AGES 
TO ILLUSTRATE THE SAYINGS AND ACTIONS OF OUR BLESSED LORD, 

IS 

BY SPECIAL PERMISSION 

INSCRIBED, 

WITH THE DEEPEST RESPECT AND GRATITUDE, 

BY HER MAJESTY'S FAITHFUL SUBJECT AND SERVANT 

THE AUTHOR 



b 



PREFACE. 



This Work was originally designed for the use of Students in 
Theology, but there are many persons, whose necessary avocations prevent 
their entering on deeper researches, to whom it may prove acceptable 
from the character of general usefulness which it has been endeavoured to 
impress on it. 

In its plan it embraces some old and approved, as well as several new 
features — the former, however, applied more simply, and it is hoped more 
in accordance with the teaching of the Church. The Sacred Narrative has 
been faithfully compiled from the several accounts of the Evangelists, with 
a strict adherence to the text of the Authorized Version. The Continuous 
Exposition, which has been kept distinct in the Italic character, consists 
in part of Emendations (either literal from the Greek*, or free) of par- 
ticular passages or expressions, to which they are immediately added on 
within parentheses for the sake of further distinguishing them. The whole 
is given as briefly as perspicuity would allow, and as plainly, without 
familiarity, as the Sacred Writings admit of; for although, as it has 
been well observed, they are a Directory of Common Life, they never 
lose their essential dignity. 

A Harmony, thus continuously illustrated, has been adopted as the 
most useful channel for shewing forth the doctrine of the Anglican 
Church in accordance with the teaching of her Divine Head ; more espe- 
cially as her mind is discovered in her admirable formularies — our never- 
failing guard against all aberrations, whether of Romanizing excess or of 
latituclinarian defect. Difficult and disputed passages f there will indeed 
always remain, and differences of opinion as to these will still exist; 



* "Wherever this is the case, the mark Ge. will be seen attached. 

t " It cannot be dissembled that, partly to exercise and whet our wits, partly to wean 
the curious from loathing the Scriptures for their everywhere plainness, partly also to 
stir up our devotion to crave the assistance of God's Spirit by prayer, and, lastly, that we 
might be forward to seek aid of our brethren by conference, and never scorn those that 
be not in all respects so complete as they should be, being to seek in many things 
ourselves, it hath pleased God in His divine Providence here and there to scatter words 
and sentences of that difficulty and doubtfulness — not in doctrinal points that concern 
Salvation (for in such it hath been vouched that the Scriptures are plain), but in matters 
of less moment, that fearfulness would better beseem us than confidence, and, if we will 
resolve, to resolve upon modesty. It is better to make doubt of those things which are 
secret, than to strive about those things that are uncertain."— Preface to the last Version, 

b 2 



viii 



PREFACE. 



but wherever any additional interpretation has been met with, at all 
worthy the reader's attention, it will be found in this Work, added in a 
Note. Although extreme systems and varying views of doctrine have 
been from time to time advocated by different Commentators, and the 
Compiler of these sheets has been most anxious to avoid all extremes of 
opinion, (especially in times so peculiar as the present,) he has thought it 
right to consult all Expositors of note, inclusive of eminent writers of 
Sermons on the Gospel texts. He has not, however, adhered exclusively 
to the authority of any. Happily, the points of agreement are in them- 
selves more important, as well as more numerous, than those of difference : 
and the hope is indulged that a recurrence, upon sound Via Media prin- 
ciples, to these Four Sacred Books, — containing as they do the root and 
foundation of every article of our Faith, and in which our Blessed Lord 
speaks most in His own Person, — may not be without its especial use in 
times of controversy. Men, we are told on the highest authority, "do 
therefore err, because they know not the Scriptures." 

There are conscientious persons who object altogether to Expositions 
of Scripture, yet surely without sufficient reason. Preaching might be 
objected to upon the grounds which are commonly brought forward. 
How can ordinary readers understand what is written — and Scripture 
itself has resolved a somewhat similar question — "except some man guide" 
them? (see Acts viii. 30, 31.) Uninterpreted, the Sacred Page can decide 
nothing, and by human beings, aided by Divine Grace, it must be ex- 
plained at last : and since every sentence which it contains is from God, 
every man is interested in the true and complete meaning of it. This 
reasoning applies with especial force to the Four Gospels. In them, more 
than in any other division of Scripture, the particular signification of 
words is found to vary much with the occasion : the Evangelists appear 
(though they only appear) to differ among themselves : and there is, occa- 
sionally, such extreme brevity, (particularly in the more important dis- 
courses as recorded by St. John,) that, to acquire a full understanding of 
what has been written, deficiencies ought to be supplied for the general 
reader. In furtherance of so desirable an object, it is a favourable cir- 
cumstance that a more critical understanding of the original tongue has 
prevailed since the adoption of the common Version now in use. Yet we 
do not, even now, possess an authorized translation of the New Testament 
taken directly from the Greek: it was from the Latin Vulgate that 
Wickliffe's early English translation in 1380 was taken; Tindale's, Cover- 
dale's, and other versions succeeded, forming the groundwork of the 
Compilation ordered in 1568, but the Kevisers appear to have only par- 
tially collated the works of their predecessors with the Original Scriptures ; 
while the last learned Editors in 1611 expressly state that their object was 
to improve that ("the Bishops' Bible" as it was called), but not to make 



PREFACE. 



IX 



a new translation. As a whole, the Version now in use is unquestionably 
one of great value, and there is no danger (at least in our day) of its 
being estimated too low ; yet, in consequence of the fluctuations to which 
all language is subject, some of its words and phrases are no longer intel- 
ligible to the unlearned reader, and even the main sense has in certain 
passages become affected. Such incidental obscurities the lapse of time 
cannot fail to superinduce upon all records of departed ages. It is also 
observable that the Translators have arbitrarily rendered the same Greek 
word in parallel passages by different English ones — an inaccuracy by no 
means unfrequent*. 

It has been often said that the inquirer cannot with more advantage 
discover Truth for himself than by comparing Scripture with Scripture. In 
the belief of the importance of thus studying the Sacred Volume, the 
collection of Expository Quotations has been made a principal feature of 
this Work. Ordinary readers seldom trouble themselves to consult those 
references of chapter and verse commonly added in the margin of our 
Bibles; and when they do so, the citation may be merely of a verbal kind, 
or they may not readily find that portion of the verse or verses which 
alone may be relevant. The References, which are the most valuable and 
conduct to the true sense, lie scattered up and down the pages of the 
better Commentators: they have here been collected, and, without mul- 
tiplying them too far, are given at length in the Margin of the Work 
along with the text which they illustrate. 

The more modern and approved plan of distributing the matter of the 
Sacred Narrative, according to its subjects, in Sections and Paragraphs — 
rather than by arbitrary divisions of chapter and verse — has been adopted : 
but it has not been thought advisable to break up the Narrative into any 
divisions of a more comprehensive character. Neither the successive 
Jewish Passovers, nor the occasional journeys of our Lord, seem to 
convey any definite idea of the peculiar propriety of the events recorded. 
The simplest, and also the most edifying plan, appears to be a Gradual 
Developement of the Christian Scheme, springing from the continuous 
and united testimony of all the Evangelists. 

The Notes, besides illustrating more at large important points of 
Doctrine, embrace all those varied matters which could not, briefly or 



* Thus, in Section CII. of this work, more than one instance may be noticed :— The 
Greek verb rendered "charged" at Mark x. 48, is, at Matt. xx. 31 (and again at Luke 
xviii. 39), rendered "rebuked." The verb rendered "made thee whole" at Mark x. 52, 
is, at Luke xviii. 42, " saved thee." In consequence of these frequent variations, the 
most apposite sense has alone been retained in passages where two or more Evangelists 
are harmonized. Wherever an actual variation occurs in the Original text, such varia- 
tion is expressly added within brackets, together with the name of the Evangelist who 
employs it. 



PREFACE. 



with convenience, be introduced with the Text. They explain collateral 
points of History, Geography, Usages, &c, an acquaintance with which is 
often necessary for understanding the Text, and they are always interest- 
ing in themselves. These might have been given as introductory matter; 
but, if read there at all, would detain the reader from the main work, 
and seem to fall more usefully under notice in connection with the 
portions of Scripture to which they severally refer*. 

Nor, — in the desire to render this Work complete as a Manual of 
Theology, so far as its character and limits would allow, — has Practical 
Improvement been forgotten. That, unquestionably, is the great end of all 
Revelation : And it is the fervent prayer of the Writer of these pages, 
that all, into whose hands the Work may chance to fall, may derive from 
it that unspeakable benefit — that by studying more earnestly the vital 
truths of our Religion, they may know the real value of the soul, as 
redeemable by a Saviour's blood ; and that, laying hold of this one ground 
of Justification, our only title to Heaven, they may be enabled, by God's 
grace, to attain to that Sanctification which alone can fit us for it. 

The Author desires to add his own heartfelt thanks to Divine Pro- 
vidence, that, with limited means, and in the midst of parochial duties 
and family avocations, he has been permitted to accomplish this labour of 
love : he puts it forth under the deepest sense of responsibility — anxious 
before all other things to do some service, in his vocation and ministry, 
among his fellow-men, and to become an instrument, however humble, of 
God's glory in the world. 



* Should the reader prefer to see at the outset what is known of the Evangelists and 
their respective Gospels, the accounts will be found as follows : — St. Matthew, Section 
XXXV., Note 1. St. Mark, Section CXXII., Note 6. St. Luke, Section I., Note 1. 
St. John, Section XXX., Note 4. 



Lancaster Place, 
SAVOY. 



PEEFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. 



A further Edition of this Work being required, the Author 
cannot omit the opportunity of stating, that it has been favoured with 
most gratifying marks of approval from upwards of twenty Prelates of 
our Church — the greater part of whom have kindly permitted copies of 
their Judgments to be laid before the influential Clergy. It should 
also be added, that several distinguished Prelates have condescended to 
supply Emendations, and valuable suggestions for the improvement of 
the Work, which are embodied in the present Edition. 

February, 1847- 



xiii 



TABLE OF SECTIONS 

CHBONOLOGICALLY ARBANGED. 



Sect. Page 

1 St. Luke's Preface or Introduction . . . . .1 

2 Exordium of St. John . . . . • .2 

3 The Birth of the Baptist foretold in a vision to Zacharias; and the Con- 

ception of Elizabeth . ... . .5 

The Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel to ' ' > Virgin Mary at Nazareth 8 

5 Mary visits Elizabeth . . . . . . .10 

6 Elizabeth bears a son, who is named John; and Zacharias prophesies . 12 

7 An Angel informs Joseph of the miraculous and immaculate Conception of 

his Virgin Bride . . . . . .14 



From the Birth of the Saviour, 4 years before the Common JEra> 
to His Baptism, when approaching the age of 30. 

8 Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem in Judea, where the Holy Child is born J 5 

9 Legal Genealogy of Jesus Christ : — from Abraham, the legal ancestor of 

Jesus, down to Joseph His reputed Father; from Mary, the Mother of 
Jesus, up to Adam . . . . . . .16 

10 The Infant Saviour is announced to Jewish Shepherds, who pay Him 

homage . . . . . . . .19 

11 The Child is circumcised, and named Jesus. The Song of Simeon upon His 

Presentation in the Temple, and the testimony of Anna the Prophetess 
concerning Him as the expected Redeemer . . 20 

12 The Eastern Magi seek the new-born King : Herod's conduct on the 

occasion . ..... .22 

13 The Flight into Egypt, and Return to Galilee . . . .24 

14 Joseph and Mary settle at Nazareth. They go up thence to the Passover 

at Jerusalem, where Jesus, at twelve years of age, questions and 
replies to the Doctors in the Temple . . 26 

15 John the Baptist preaches and baptizes in the waste country or plain of 

the Jordan . . . . . . . .28 

16 John reproves the Pharisees and Sadducees, and instructs the people . 30 

17 Jesus comes from Nazareth to be baptized by John . . .32 



xiv 



TABLE OF SECTIONS 



Sect _ Page 

18 He is led up of the Spirit into the Wilderness, where he fasts forty days, 

and is tempted in a threefold manner by the Devil . . .33 

19 John speaks plainly of the Messiah to the Priests and Levites . 35 

20 John proclaims Jesus as the Lamb of God : Andrew and other of John's 

Disciples are convinced that Jesus is the Messiah . . .37 

21 The beginning of Miracles at Cana of Galilee . . . .40 



The First Year of our Lord's Public Ministry, commencing with 
the attendance at His First Passover. 





YEAR OF JESUS CHRIST 30. — COMMON j£RA (OR A.D.) 27. 




22 


Jesus attends the Passover at Jerusalem, where He commences His public 






Ministry with the first purging of the Temple 


42 


23 


Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, visits Jesus by night 


44 


24 


The Baptist bears final testimony to Jesus at iEnon 


47 


25 


The Baptist is imprisoned by Herod Antipas .... 


49 


26 


J esus returns into Galilee to avoid the growing malice of the Rulers : on 






His way through Samaria He reveals Himself to a woman of the 






country, and afterwards discourses with His Disciples on Spiritual Food 


50 


27 


Jesus commences the preaching of the Gospel in Galilee; and at Cana 






cures with His word a youth lying sick at Capernaum 


55 


28 


Jesus teaches at Nazareth, and applies to Himself Isaiah's prediction of 






the Messiah . . . . . 


56 


29 


Jesus dwells at Capernaum 


59 


30 


The Disciples, Simon and Andrew, James and John, are called to a more 






regular attendance ; and witness the miraculous draught of fishes 


59 


31 


Jesus cures a Demoniac in the Synagogue at Capernaum; and heals 






Peter's Wife's Mother, and others ..... 


62 


32 


Jesus retires into the Desert ; and afterwards moves about Galilee, teach- 






ing and healing ....... 


64 


33 


The miraculous cure of a Leper ..... 


65 


34 


In curing a paralytic man, Jesus declares His power of forgiving sins 


66 


35 


St. Matthew is called ....... 


68 



The Second Year of our Lord's Ministry, when He again 
attends the Jewish Passover. 

YEAR OF JESUS CHRIST 31. COMMON .SERA (OR A.D.) 28. 

36 Jesus again attends the Passover at Jerusalem, where He cures the 

Cripple at Bethesda, and makes a sublime defence of His Character 

and Mission before the Jewish Rulers . . . .68 

37 The Disciples pluck ears of corn on a Sabbath-day : Jesus justifies them, 

and declares Himself Lord of the Sabbath , • 74 



CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED. xv 

Sect. Page 

38 The cure of a man with a withered hand on another Sabbath-day . 76 

39 Jesus retires to the other side of the Lake, whither multitudes follow Him, 

and He heals many . . . . . . .77 

40 The Twelve Apostles are appointed . . . . .79 

41 The Sermon on the Mount . . . . . .81 

42 The Centurion's Servant healed at Capernaum . . . .101 

43 A Widow's Son restored to life at Nain . . . .102 

44 The Baptist's Disciples visit Jesus; who afterwards bears honourable 

testimony to John,, and reproves that generation . . .104 

45 He upbraids the impenitent cities, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum 107 

46 A woman who had been a sinner anoints the feet of Jesus at an enter- 

tainment . . . , . .108 

47 Jesus during a circuit cures a Demoniac ; and, upon the Pharisees having 

accused Him of confederacy with Satan, He warns them of the Un- 
pardonable Sin, and reproves them in appropriate Parables . 110 

48 The Scribes and Pharisees are reproved for requiring a further sign from 

Heaven. The sign of Jonas is promised . , . .114 

49 Jesus declares whom He esteems as His Mother and His Brethren. He 

dines with a Pharisee ; and denounces woes against the hypocrites of 
that sect, with others . . . . . .116 

50 The Parable of the Sower; with a Discourse on Parables . .120 

51 The Parable of the Tares of the Field . . . . .124 

52 Various Parables are spoken, having reference to the effects and astonish- 

ing progress of the Gospel . . . . . .126 

53 Jesus exhorts some who had followed Him to the water-side, not to turn 

back from the Gospel ; and, in crossing the Lake with his Disciples, 
calms a hurricane . . . . . . .129 

54 The Demoniacs of Gadara are healed on the other side of the Lake; but, 

at the request of the inhabitants, Jesus quits their territory, and sails 
back again . . . . . . . 131 

55 Jesus, being entertained by Matthew, justifies His eating with publicans 

and sinners ; and vindicates His Disciples for not fasting during His 
continuance with them . . . . . .135 

56 Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus from the dead; and, on His way to 

the Ruler's house, a woman with an issue of blood is healed by touch- 
ing His garment . . . . . 137 

57 Jesus restores sight to two blind men, and speech to a dumb Demoniac . 140 

58 Jesus revisits Nazareth ; but being again rejected by His countrymen, 

makes a circuit to teach in the neighbouring country . .141 

59 The Twelve Apostles are commissioned to preach the Gospel in Judea: 

they receive instructions, and depart . . . .142 

60 John the Baptist is beheaded by Herod; who, afterwards hearing of 

Jesus, imagines Him to be the Baptist risen from the dead . .149 

61 The Apostles return from their Mission, and Jesus retires with them from 

Capernaum to the other side of the Lake. The multitude follow, and 
above five thousand are miraculously fed . . . .151 



xvi TABLE OF SECTIONS 

Sect. Page 

62 Jesus appears to His Disciples, during a tempest, walking on the sea . 155 

63 Jesus delivers the sublime Discourse of eating His flesh and drinking His 

blood ; after which many of His Disciples leave Him, but it elicits a 
confession of adherence from the Twelve . . . .157 



The Third Year of our Lord's Ministry, and occurrence 
of another Passover 

YEAR OF JESUS CHRIST 32. — COMMON iERA (OR A.D.) 29. 

64 Jesus condemns the Pharisees for keeping their own traditions to the 

neglect of the Divine Law . . . . . .164 

65 Jesus retires to the border-land of Tyre and Sidon, where, after proving 

the faith of a woman of Canaan, He expels a demon from her 
daughter ........ 168 

66 Upon His return through Decapolis Jesus cures a deaf man, who had also 

an impediment in his speech . , . .169 

67 Jesus heals many, and the multitude are fed miraculously a second time 170 

68 The Pharisees again request a sign ; and Jesus warns His Disciples against 

the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees . . . .172 

69 The sight of a man born blind is gradually restored at Bethsaida . 174 

70 Peter's acknowledgment of the Messiahship and Divinity of Jesus . 175 

71 Jesus plainly foretells His sufferings and death; when Peter, taking 

offence, is rebuked ; and all are exhorted to self-denial . . 177 

72 The Transfiguration . . . . . .179 

73 A Demoniac, whom the Disciples were unable to dispossess, is cured by 

Jesus ........ 182 

74 Jesus again reminds His Disciples of His approaching sufferings ; and by 

a miracle provides the tribute money . . . .184 

75 Jesus reproves the Apostles for their worldly spirit; warning them 

against offences towards their brethren, and teaching forgiveness by 

the Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Unmerciful Servant . .186 

76 The Seventy disciples receive a charge and are sent forth . .193 

77 Jesus goes up to the Feast of Tabernacles, and teaches in the Temple . 194 

7 8 An adulteress is brought before Jesus, who declines the office of a Judge, 

but admonishes her as a Teacher . . . . 200 

79 Jesus speaks more plainly of Himself, and declares His existence before 

Abraham ; upon which His enemies attempt to stone Him . . 202 

80 Jesus restores sight to a man born blind, at which the Pharisees take 

offence : they are further exasperated by His declaring Himself to be 

" The Good Shepherd," and (< One with the Father" . . .208 

81 The Seventy disciples return, and Jesus gives thanks to the Father for 

their success . . . . . . .214 

82 The Parable of the Good Samaritan — shewing the extent of the Duty 

towards our Neighbour . . , . . .218 



CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED. 



xvii 



Sect. t Page 

83 The People are taught — A warning given against covetousness ; Who is 
a faithful and wise servant ; The danger of forming rash judg- 
ments . . . . . . .219 

A woman who had been bowed together for eighteen years, is restored 

by Jesus on a Sabbath-day . . . . . .224 

Jesus, on His way to Jerusalem, declines making a direct reply to the 
question, " Are there few that be saved ?" He declares that He shall 
be put to death in that city ..... 225 

Jesus, dining with a Pharisee on the Sabbath, heals a man who had the 

dropsy ; and delivers the Parable of the Marriage Supper . .228 

Jesus shews what is needful to become His disciple » . . 231 

The Pharisees are rebuked in the Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost 

Piece of Money, and the Prodigal Son . . . . 232 

The Parable of the Unjust Steward is delivered as a lesson of Prudence ; 
and that of the Rich Man and the beggar Lazarus as a warning 
against Selfishness . . . . . . .236 

Christians are required to be inoffensive and forgiving. The power of 
Faith is exemplified, and the most perfect Obedience shewn to be no 
more than our duty . . . . . . .240 

The ten Lepers are cleansed in Samaria . . . .241 

J esus rebukes the Sons of Zebedee for their intemperate zeal against the 

Samaritans . . . . . . . 243 

Jesus replies to the Pharisees concerning the coming of God's Kingdom ; 
and warns His followers of the national consequences of rejecting 
Him . • . . . . . .244 

94 Perseverance in Prayer enjoined by the Parable of the Importunate 

"Widow ; and Humility in the worshipper by that of the self-justifying 
Pharisee and the self-condemning Publican . . . .246 

95 Jesus proceeds on His journey ; and by the way replies yet more plainly 

to the Pharisees respecting Divorce . . .248 

96 Jesus is hospitably entertained in the house of Martha at Bethany; but 

her sister Mary is commended for choosing the better part . . 250 

97 Jesus attends the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem : on which occasion 

the Jews attempt to stone Him for imputed blasphemy; and He 
retires again to Bethabara ...... 252 

98 Jesus displays His Almighty power as the Giver of Life, in raising 

Lazarus from the dead after he had been buried four days . . 255 

99 Jesus blesses little children who are brought to Him . . .260 

100 Jesus replies to the rich young Ruler, who enquires what he must do to 

inherit Eternal Life : He takes the same occasion to warn His dis- 
ciples against covetousness — adding the Parable of the Labourers in 
the Vineyard . . . . . . . 261 

101 Jesus, on His last journey to Jerusalem with the Twelve, again predicts 

His sufferings and death ; and, having occasion to rebuke the ambi- 
tion of James and John, inculcates humility on all . . 266 



Xviii 



TABLE OF SECTIONS 



Sect. Page 

102 Jesus restores the sight of Bar-timeus and another blind mendicant, on 

the further side of Jericho ; and rests at the house of the converted 
publican Zaccheus, when He relates the Parable of the Pounds . 269 

103 Jesus arrives at Bethany six days before the Passover. An entertainment 

is given at the house of Simon the Leper, at which Lazarus is present, 

and Mary anoints the Lord's head and feet .... 274 

104 Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph, riding, as had been predicted, on the 

foal of an ass. He weeps over the city, and takes possession of His 
Temple . . . . . . . . .276 

105 Jesus condemns the unfruitful fig-tree; and again purifies the Temple. 

Certain Greeks desire an interview with Him . . .280 

106 The Evangelist John comments on the obstinate unbelief of the Jews. 

Jesus, in passing the withered emblem of their destruction, exhorts 
His disciples to a lively faith. He again preaches in the Temple, 
plainly avowing Himself to be the Messiah ; and is questioned as to 
His authority by a deputation from the Sanhedrim . . 283 

107 Jesus rebukes the Rulers by the Parables of the Two Sons, the Husband- 

men and the Heir, and the Wedding-Feast . . . .287 

108 Jesus confutes the Pharisees with the Herodians, and afterwards the 

Sadducees, who put ensnaring questions for His decision . .291 

109 Jesus answers a Scribe respecting the first and great commandment, and 

silences the Pharisees by the question, Why David called the Messiah 

his Lord? . . . ... . . 295 

110 Jesus, before quitting the Temple, severely rebukes the Scribes and 

Pharisees ........ 297 

111 Jesus applauds the charity of the poor Widow who cast her all into the 

Treasury ........ 299 

112 Jesus, on finally quitting the Temple, foretells its total destruction; and 

at the Mount of Olives, declares the signs which would precede His 
Coming to take vengeance on the Jews .... 300 

113 Jesus describes the destruction of Jerusalem in stronger images, applicable 

also to the Day of Judgment ; and solemnly inculcates the duty of 
Watchfulness . . . . . . 307 

114 Jesus further warns His disciples to be ready against His Coming, in the 

Parables of the Ten Virgins and the Talents; and concludes with a 
more particular description of the Day of Judgment . . 309 

115 The Rulers debate as to the apprehension of Jesus; and Judas agrees to 

deliver Him up for thirty pieces of silver . . . .315 



The Fourth Passover, and Crucifixion of Jesus. 

YEAR OF JESUS CHRIST 33. — -COMMON ^RA (OR A.D.) 30. 

116 Jesus directs His disciples to prepare the Passover ; and at Supper-time 

teaches them a striking lesson of Humility by washing their feet . 316 

117 He sits down to eat the Paschal Supper with the Twelve; when He fore- 

tells His betrayal by Judas, and the threefold denial of Him by Peter 320 



CHRONOLOGICALLY ARRANGED. xix 

Sect. Page 

118 Jesus institutes the Sacrament of His Body and Blood ; and consoles His 

disciples with the promise of another Comforter . . . 323 

119 At the Mount of Olives, Jesus again urges some final instructions on His 

Apostles . . . . . . .330 

120 The prayer of Jesus for His cause, for His Apostles, and for all Christians 339 

121 The Saviour's Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane . . . 343 

122 The betrayal by Judas, and the flight of the eleven Apostles . . 345 

123 Jesus is removed to the palace of Caiaphas, whither Peter follows to see 

the event ; and, according to the Prediction of his Master, thrice 
denies that he knows Him . . . . 349 

124 Jesus is twice examined ; and the second time, on being adjured by the 

High-Priest, avows Himself to be the Messiah, the Son of God . 352 

125 The Council determine to deliver up Jesus to Pilate, the Roman Governor ; 

who, believing Him to be innocent, declines to condemn Him, and, 
having discovered that He is a Galilean, sends Him to Herod 
Antipas . . . ..... 355 

126 Herod, having mocked Jesus, sends Him back to Pilate; who, after 

repeated efforts to save His life, passes the sentence of Condemnation 358 

127 Judas avows the innocence of his Master; and, having restored to the 

Priests the wages of his iniquity, hangs himself in despair . .363 

128 Jesus is led away to Golgotha, in company with two robbers, to be cru- 

cified; and addresses some women of Jerusalem by the way . . 365 

129 The Crucifixion; and its attendant circumstances . . .366 

1 30 The Death of Jesus ; and the prodigies which ensued . .370 

The Events which followed the Death of Jesus, during the 
space of forty days. 

131 The Burial; and the making secure of the Sepulchre by the Chief-Priests 

and Romans . 372 

132 The Resurrection. The first party of three women visit the Sepulchre, 
Peter and John following. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, and to 





her two companions ...... 


376 


133 


The Roman Guard report the fact of the Resurrection of Jesus, and are 
bribed by the Chief-Priests into silence .... 


380 


134 


The women in a larger party visit the Sepulchre ; and upon their report 
Peter runs there a second time, alone . . . 


381 


135 


The appearance to the two Disciples on their way to Emmaus . 


382 


136 


The appearance to all the Apostles except Thomas, and to others 


385 


137 


The second appearance to the assembled Apostles, and the incredulity 
and subsequent conviction of Thomas on that occasion 


387 


138 


Jesus shews Himself to a multitude of believers in Galilee ; and again, to 
Peter and others on the shore of the Lake .... 


388 


139 


Final instructions are given to the Eleven at Jerusalem 


393 


140 


Jesus gives His last blessing to His Disciples, and is then taken up into 
Heaven 


395 



EPISCOPAL TESTIMONIALS 

TO 

A WORK, ENTITLED 

THE GOSPEL-NAEEATIYE, 

WITHOUT EEPETITION OK OMISSION, 

(Dedicated, by permission, to Her Majesty the Queen.) 

BY THE 

REV. JOHN FORSTER, M.A., 

HER MAJESTY'S CHAPLAIN OF THE SAVOT. 



[The following Communications are, in each case, addressed to the Author ; and 
are copied with the permission of each Eight Reverend Prelate.'] 

From the Lord Bishop of St. Asaph. 

"London, Nor. 7, 1846. 
I have read through your Book, and think it a very useful one. I have 
for that reason given away several copies, and am glad to hear that you purpose 
to print in a cheaper form. It is to my eye peculiarly free from anything 
which I deem objectionable. T. V. St. ASAPH." 



From the Lord Bishop of Chester. 

" Chester, Oct. 28, 1846. 

Some months ago, when I received the first edition of your 'Gospel 
Narrative,' I had not had the opportunity of becoming acquainted with its 
merits. Since that time I have frequently consulted it, and have no hesitation 
in bearing my Testimony to its usefulness: and I shall be glad if its general 
circulation recompenses you for the great labour which you have employed 
upon it. . . J.B.CHESTER. 

You are quite at liberty to print this Testimonial." 



From the Lord Bishop of Chichester. 

" 4, Green Street, Srd February, 1 846. 
I can add my Testimony to the perspicuity and moderation of the Para- 
phrase and Commentary. I conceive it well calculated to be of use to almost all 
classes of readers, scarcely excepting the learned at one extreme, and certainly 
not the ignorant who may be blessed with plain understandings and a teachable 
spirit at the other.— I have already begun to recommend the Work, and shall 
provide myself with copies from time to time, as I may see opportunity of 
using them." 

"Palace, Chichester, 23 Oct., 1846. 
I quite consent to your making any use you wish of the extract from my 
letter. A. T. CHICHESTER." 



2 



EPISCOPAL TESTIMONIALS. 



From the Lord Bishop of St. David's. 

"Abergicili, Carinartlien, 13 Nov., 1845. 

The Plan of your 4 Gospel- Narrative' appears to me calculated to be very 
useful to readers of every class, being well adapted to convey the most important 
information in the smallest compass and the most convenient form." 

" Abergwili, 29 Oct., 1846. 
I beg that you will make any use you may think proper of my former 
letter, and I shall be extremely glad if it should in any degree contribute to 
promote the circulation of your valuable Work. C. St. DAVIDS." 



From the Lord Bishop of Exeter. 

" Bishopstoice, Torquay, 11 Dec., 1845. 

I have much pleasure in saying that I have sufficiently looked into 
your Work, to assure myself that it is a work of merit, and calculated (with 
God's blessing) to be useful to the Students in Theology and to Christian 
Readers generally. 

P.S. I wish to be understood as thinking highly of the Work." 

" Bishopstoice, Torquay, 24 Oct., 1846. 

I most readily assent to your request, that you may extract any passage 
from my letter to you. H. EXETER." 



From the Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. 

" Stapleton, near Bristol, Nov, 20, 1845. 

I have looked into several parts of your 'Continuous Gospel-Narrative,' 
and am extremely pleased both with the Plan and the Execution. I think that 
you have rendered an important service to the cause of Scripture illustration." 

''Stapleton, Oct. 27, 1846. 

I remember having read a part of your Work on the Gospels, with much 
approbation both of the Plan and of the Execution. I do not recollect what I 
said about your Book : but, whatever it was, I am sure that it was said with 
sincerity ; and if you think it will render you service, you are at liberty to 
make use of it. 

J. H. GLOUCESTER AND BRISTOL." 



From the Lord Bishop of Lichfield. 

" Eccleshall, Staffordshire, 29 July, 1845. 
I have read your proof, and am very much pleased with it. That it is 
no common Work, and has cost no common pains, I have seen quite enough to 
satisfy me. From the specimen, I think it very probable that I shall feel 
myself more than justified in recommending the whole Work." 

" Eccleshall Castle, 23 Oct., 1846. 
Heartily wishing success to your excellent Work on the Gospels, I readily 
consent to your using the testimony borne by me to its merits — if you think 
such a testimony will be received by any body as a recommendation. 

J. LICHFIELD." 



EPISCOPAL TESTIMONIALS. 



3 



From the Lord Bishop of Lincoln. 

" Riseholme, Lincoln, Oct. 30, 1846. 
As nearly a twelvemonth has elapsed since I received the copy of your 
Work, entitled 4 The Gospel-Narrative/ I can only state the general impression 
made upon my mind by the perusal. I then thought it a Work admirably calcu- 
lated to answer the end for which it is designed ; and one likely to be eminently 
useful to all classes of readers, but especially to Students in Theology. 

J. LINCOLN. 

P.S. You are at perfect liberty to make the above note public." 



From the Lord Bishop of Llandaff. 

"Deanery, St. Paul's, Dec. 9, 1845. 
I have examined your Volume, entitled ' The Gospel-Narrative,' in several 
parts, and have always found it most satisfactory. 1 do not think indeed that 
any Work of the kind has been so complete. — There always will be passages 
difficult to be reconciled with any hypothesis ; but your method of harmonizing 
the Gospels appears to me freer than any other that I have seen from objections. 
It is admirably arranged, perspicuous throughout, and highly instructive to the 
Biblical Student. I intend therefore to present a copy to each of the Divinity 
Schools in my Diocese." 

" Hardwick House, Chepstow, Oct. 25th, 1846. 
I have no hesitation in saying that you are at liberty to make what use 
you please of my letter of Deer. 9, 1845 ; and I sincerely hope that your 
Work will be extensively circulated — especially among the Clergy, and the 
places of Clerical Education. E. LLANDAFF." 



From the Lord Bishop of Oxford. 

"Malvern, Nov. 4th, 1846. 
The BISHOP of OXFORD has only been able to look into Mr. Forster's 
Book more slightly than he hopes to do — that inspection having convinced him 
that it has been very carefully prepared. — The Bishop may at a future time, if 
Mr. Forster desires it, be able to enter more into its merits." 



From the Lord Bishop of Peterborough. 

"Peterborough, Feb. 10, 1846. 
I have little doubt, from what I have seen of your Work on the Gospels, 
that it will be a valuable Work, and such as may be safely recommended." 

"Peterborough, Nov. 29, 1846. 
I can have no objection to your quoting the passage in my letter. 

G. PETERBOROUGH." 



From the Lord Bishop of Winchester. 

" Farnham Castle, Dec. 18, 1846. 

When I acknowledged the receipt of a copy of your Work, entitled 
4 The Gospel-Narrative,' I stated my opinion ' that the scheme of the Para- 
phrase, if carried out successfully, was calculated to be extensively useful/ I 
have since had opportunities of referring frequently to the volume, and have 
found my expectations fully satisfied. / know of no Harmony ichich may be 
consulted with so much advantage. C. WINTON. 

You are at liberty to make use of my reply as you think proper." 



4 



EPISCOPAL TESTIMONIALS. 



From the Lord Bishop of "Worcester. 

kC Hartlebury Castle, Oct. 25, 1846. 

The best Testimony which I can give to the merit of your Book is by 
informing you of what is the real fact : That ever since I received it, a twelve- 
month since, it has always laid upon my table for my habitual reference and 
perusal. — The Paraphrase is most judiciously framed — long enough to be 
explanatory, without being (as I have often observed in other attempts of the 
kind) too verbose and redundant. The Notes are just what they should be ; 
explanatory of the meaning of the Text, without any of that affectation of learning 
which is apt to offend one in a book intended for general circulation. — I con- 
sider the Work as a most valuable present to the Church, and I intend either 
publicly or privately to recommend its use to the Candidates for Orders at my 
next general Ordination. H. WORCESTER. 

P.S. You are quite welcome to make whatever use you think proper of 
this Note. — H. W." 



From the Lord Bishop of Down and Connor. 

" The Palace, near Belfast, Nov. 15th, 1845. 
My attention has been occasionally drawn to particular passages of your 
Work on ' The Gospel-Narrative ; and in all those passages which took my 
notice, I observed with pleasure that you take accurate views of texts which bear 
on 'the doctrine, discipline, and sacraments of Christ as received by the Church,' 
whereby she is assimilated to the Holy Catholic Church in her primitive pro- 
fessions and practices." 

" The Palace, near Belfast, Oct. 30th, 1846. 
Nothing has occurred to abate the good opinion which I formed last year 
of your publication, ( The Gospel-Narrative and I shall be glad if what I 
then said can be made conducive to the furtherance of your object. 

Rd. DOWN & CONNOR." 



From the Lord Bishop of Meath. 

" Ardhraccan, Navan, Jan. 21, 1846. 
I have carefully read nearly two-thirds of the Book, and / never saw a 
Harmony to be compared with it. It is brief, and yet very full, and most judi- 
cious in all its views, which are strictly those of the Church of England." 

" Ardhraccan House, Nov. 23, 1846. 
As I consider your ' Gospel-Narrative' the most judicious plan for a 
Harmony that I have seen, and that it avoids all the doctrinal errors into which 
persons, not of genuine orthodox principles, might be inclined to run at either 
side, I shall be very happy to bear my Testimony, in any way, to the value of 
the Book ; and I feel satisfied that the cause of sound Biblical interpretation will 
be much promoted by its general circulation. EDWARD MEATH." 



From the Right Reverend the Bishop of Aberdeen. 

" Aberdeen, 2d Nov., 1846. 
I can have no hesitation in granting you permission to make use of my 
name and humble approval of your valuable and useful Work, 6 The Gospel- 
Narrative, &c.,' in any way that may prove advantageous. I am quite sen- 
sible of the benefit which it must hold out, not only to Theological Students, 
but to every one who would diligently search the Scriptures. 

W. SKINNER," Primus 
of the Scottish Episcopal Church. 



THE GOSPEL-NARRATIVE. 



SECTION I. 



St. Luke's Preface or Introduction. 



Luke i. 1 — 4. 



FORASMUCH as many have taken in hand to set forth * ^ J e «*» M 
J bear witness, because ye 

in order a declaration (have undertaken to compose a have been with Me from 

narrative) of those things which are now most surely be- 27° begmnmg * John3 "- 

lieved as certain truths among us Christians: even as they, ^'^J^ ^Christ! 

— which from the beginning were eye-witnesses a of what i Pet. v. i. 

7-717 ■ n i tut- i The Life was manifest- 

ing .Lorn Jesws azcf, and became Ministers' 5 or the Word, e d, and we have seen it, 

—delivered them unto us; it seemed good to me also/ 1 ) bear witness. Uohn 
having, by personal intercourse with them and by tracing b Let a man so account 

°* u or us as of the ministers 

up everything to its source, had perfect understanding of of Christ, l Cor. iv. l. 

n ,i • 7»7 7 r J^ r j i • j c But Peter rehearsed 

all things which were done from the very nrst, to write the matter from the be _ 
of them unto thee in order c (distinctly and particularly), & n ? in %> ^ d «pounded 

° v a jr f- 7 it by order unto them. 

most excellent Theophilus; (2) to the end that, by means Actsxi 4. 
of the written and uncorrupted Word, thou mightest know that ye might believe that 
the certainty 4 of those important things wherein thou hast sono/Vod. °John 
already been catechetically instructed. 3L 



{}) It seemed good to me also.] St. Luke, who 
here explains why he wrote a Gospel, was a native 
of Antioch. According to the most ancient writers 
he became the companion of the Apostles, and 
certainly of St. Paul (see Actsxvi. 10, 11 ; 2 Tim. 
iv. 11; Philem. 24; Col. iv. 14); but, most pro- 
bably, this Evangelist was not an eye-witness of 
what he relates. Although he is more particular 
in his account of the Commission of the Seventy 
(to which body he has been supposed to belong), 
and although the frequent Hebraisms of his style 
have led to the idea of his being a Jew by birth, 
yet the comparison of Col. iv. 11 with Col. iv. 14 
would alone seem to decide that he was not " of 
the Circumcision." — The style of this Evangelist 
confirms what is related of his general history. 
It is copious, and often elegant, as might be 
expected from his Gentile descent : the know- 
ledge of Jewish usages which it exhibits, shews 
him to have been a Jew in religion; and the 
scientific and more appropriate terms employed 



when diseases are mentioned, leave no doubt that 
he was by profession a physician. — The most 
received and probable opinion is that he wrote 
his Gospel for the use of Gentile converts, in or 
near the year 64, and in Achaia, where he died 
at an advanced age. 

( 2 ) Most excellent Theophilus.'] The person 
here addressed appears to have been some official 
or otherwise-distinguished individual, known to 
St. Luke, and probably one of his Gentile con- 
verts. The Evangelist's other Book, that of the 
Acts, commences with an address to the same. 
Josephus refers to a person of this name, of rank 
among the Jews, and contemporary with St. 
Luke. (Antiq. xx. 8.)— The title, " Most Excel- 
lent," given to Theophilus, and the adoption of 
a similar phrase of courtesy by St. Paul, when 
before Festus (Acts xxvi. 25), show us that 
those Christians are over scrupulous, who refuse 
to employ such modes of address as have become 
established by custom. 

B 



2 



SECTION II. 

Exordium of St. John : setting forth the Pre-existence, Di- 
vinity, and Incarnation of the WORD, or only begotten 
Son of God ; and the Testimony of John the Baptist con- 
cerning The Light. 

John i. 1—18. 



« in the beginning God T^ T the beoinnino; a of the Creation- and from all eternity. 

created the heaven and I ° . a *T , . . 3 % . _ TT , 

the earth. Gen. i. i. was the divine Word in existence: and the Word was 

thTShmin^ originally with God b the Father, pre-existing as a distinct 

earth was. Prov. yiii. 23. p erson [ n the closest union with Him; and the Word was 

b O Father, glorify Thou 

Me with Thine own self, Himself God c (1) (/Ae Eternal Jehovah), participating in the 

with the glory which I j. . , ,, 7 , . 7 

had with fhee before the same divine nature and the same essential perfections. 

WO TnVson ? before ali The same was in tlie ver V beginning with God, being 
things. Coi. i. 17. equally the Author of Creation, and not a subordinate 
which was with the Fa- instrument in that work of Omnipotence. "By the WORD 
th& c '"unto °us a Child is °f Lord were the heavens made" (Ps. xxxiii. 6) ; and 
b ° rn ' U th° US ' * t S °c a ^ n ^ 6 manner a ^ things, visible and invisible, throughout 
tne^evOTiasting^Father.' the universe, were made by Him; d(2) and without Him 
Is And Thomas answered {without His co-operating agency and power) was not any- 
and said unto Him, My thing whatsoever made, that was made. And not only did 

Lord and my God. John ° . 7 , . . , 

xx. 28. He create the material and inanimate world; but centered 

God^bielsed ^for™ ever.' m Him was the power of giving life/ natural and spiritual, 
Amen. Rom. ix. 5. to the w ] l0 i e creation ; and He, the fountain of all Life, 

Lnnst Jesus, being in , . . / 

the form of God, thought was especially the Light f (the Enlightener and Instructor) 

it not robbery to be equal 

with God. Phil. ii. 6. — Unto the Son, God saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. Heb. i. 8. — This 
(Jesus Christ) is the true God and Eternal Life. 1 John v. 20. — the only wise God, our Saviour. Jude 25. 

d Thus saith thy Redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb : I am the Lord that maketh all things. 
Isa. xliv. 24. — By Him (the Son) were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and 
invisible. Col. i. 16. — The worlds were framed by the Word of God. Heb. xi. 3. 

o As the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given the Son to have life in Himself. John v. 26. — 
He giveth life unto the world. John vi. 33. — Jesus said, I am the Resurrection and the Life. John xi. 25. — 
God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John v. 11. 

f Then spake Jesus, I am the Light of the world. He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but 
shall have the Light of Life. John viii. 12. — The darkness is past, and the True Light now shineth. 1 John ii. 8. 



(!) T7ie Word was God.} This is one of 
the two principal passages which establish the 
Divinity of the Saviour (the other being Rom. 
ix. 5); and, after the most diligent inquiry into 
different Versions, — especially by those who im- 
pugn the doctrine conveyed, — not a single various 
reading of this passage has yet been discovered. 
The doctrine, instead of being shaken by such 
collations, has been rendered more certain than 
ever. — By the " Word" or Logos, here plainly de- 
clared to be a Person equal with the Father, and 
not an Attribute, it is plain that St. John means 
Jesus Christ; for he goes on to speak of the 
Baptist as preceding Him. (See also 1 John i. 
1, and Rev. xix. 13.) Eleven times in this first 
chapter of his Gospel is the word "6W used 
in its proper sense by the Evangelist, nor can a 
single instance be produced from the entire New 
Testament, where in the singular number it is 
used in any other sense. 

The very remarkable expression, " The 
Word," is derived both from the Jewish and 
Gentile theology of that period, and its then 
familiar use accounts for the Evangelist's bre- 
vity in delivering so great a mystery. It was 



always used to signify a vital and divine sub- 
sistence. Philo applies it to Jehovah, or the 
Creator of the world ; and in the Jewish syna- 
gogues the expected Messiah was designated 
under the same term. And for this other sim- 
ple reason, St. John might adopt so appropriate 
an expression: the Father makes known His 
will by His Son, the Word (see Heb. i. 1, 2), in 
the same manner as a man makes known his 
mind by means of words. 

(" 2 ) All things were made by Him.~\ There can 
be no higher proof of Omnipotence than this ; 
and it is to His work of Creation that Jehovah 
appeals as the particular proof that He is the 
true God in opposition to idols. (See Ps. c. 3.) 
To the same proof our Saviour himself appeals. 
(John x. 37.) — And yet the First Great Cause 
as plainly declares, " My glory I will not give to 
another." " Beside Me there is no God." (Isa. 
xlii. 8; xliv. 6.) — It appears from Gen. i. 2, 
that the Third Person in the Holy Trinity is also 
equally the Creator; and the patriarch has said, 
" The Spirit of God hath made me ; the breath 
of the Almighty hath given me life." (Job 
xxxiii. 4.) 



EXORDIUM OF ST. JOHN. 



a 



of men. And this, the glorious Light, shineth in dark- 
ness, — enlightening with its beams a benighted, ignorant, 
and wicked world ; and the darkness was so thick that at 
first it comprehended it nots- — it would not admit even that « Thisisthecondemna- 

J 1 tion, that Light is come 

Light to penetrate and disperse it. into the world, and men 

It was in the manner following that this Divine Dispen- ^t£S2!K2S 
sation commenced. — There was a man,— for he was not a were evil - Joll « »*• io- 
divine person as some supposed, though unquestionably, as h Beho]d 1 wil] send 
had been foretold,— sent from God ; h whose name Was My messenger, and lie 
John, afterwards called also the Baptist. The same came ' JK^^S^SjlT? b& 
expressly for a Witness, 1 to bear witness of the Light, that , John veri]y baplized 
so all men, vnthout exception of any, — having through him with die baptism of re- 

. f. _ , , „ , ,7 • i pentance, saying unto the 

their attention powerfully awakened to the truth, — might people, that they should 

believe in their Saviour tvhen He appeared. He (John), cTme^fterllm, 

although a shining light, was not that Great predicted Light, ^ V™ Christ Jesus - 

— the Sun of Righteousness and fountain of all Light, — but fc i ^ ... 

was sent, as the morning-star and harbinger of its rising f or a light unto the g&Z 

upon the world, to bear witness of that Light. That was the S My^sdvSTuKe 

only true and infallible Light that cometh into the world ; (3) end ° f the eartb - isa. 

which, setting aside all the false lights of merely human a Light to lighten the 

philosophy, effectually lighteth (is able to enlighten) every o f ent thy s> p^pi^^S 

man k whose mind is duly prepared for the reception of it. L,lke 32 - 

He was incarnate in the world ; and the world itself 1 We hid as^it were 
was made by Him, and yet the blind and ungrateful men of was despised, and we es e 

the world knew (acknowledged) Him not, either as their \™™ d Him not Isa - 

Maker or Redeemer. He came unto His own, — for every m „ „ . 

7 J v m Ye are all the chil- 

territory was His, — but He was pleased to make the land dren of God by faith in 

of the Jews His peculiar dwelling-place upon earth; and nst esus ' d U1 - 26 - 

even His own people, favoured as they had ever been above gat"^ S with thlwo^-d 

all other nations, received Him not 1 as their Benefactor, ofTruth.Jas.i.ia 

. . — Which according to 

But as many as received Him,— for some there were wait- His mercy hath begotten 
ing for the redemption of Israel,— -to them gave He power £* pe aga ; n . ™* » E ^ 
(privilege, Marg.) to become the adopted sons of God, m - bo ™ a § ain , noit °[ 

r ° . i . . . , corruptible seed, but of 

even to tnem that believe on his name (m Him) : which incorruptible, l Pet. i. 
were born again, n not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, 
nor of the will of man (not as by birth from earthly parents 

of whom they received flesh and blood— for no means of w f as made ^. 1 th . e . ^keness 

Nature could possibly convey Regeneration) ; but entirely God was manifest in 

of the will and free mercy of God, conforming them to the A f te Ire 

His image and accepting them through His Son. From partakers of flesh and 

f 7.7.77 n blood ' He also Him self 

this Divine Source was their birth thenceforward to be likewise toot part of the 

7 7 same. Heb. ii. 14. 

rec/conea. ETery spirit that con . 

And to procure for us so glorious an adoption* the f esseth t^t Jesus Christ 

, , n 1S come in the flesh is of 

Word was made (became) nesh, 0(4) and dwelt (pitched His God. 1 John iv. 2. 



3, 23. 



0 He took on Him the 
form of a servant, and 



( 3 ) That cometh into the world.'] These words 
are transposed on the best critical authority, and 
that they must be referred to " the Light " is 
corroborated by John iii. 19; xii. 46. 

( 4 ) The Word was made flesh.] The fourth 



General Council thus defines this great mystery : 
" He was so made flesh, that He ceased not to 
be the Word , never changing that He was, hut 
assuming that He was not." The Godhead was 
not converted into flesh, but the Manhood taken 
into God. ^ 



4 



EXORDIUM OF ST. JOHN. 



tent, Gr.) among us, — even as the manifestation of the 
Deity had been visibly present of old in the Tabernacle, — 
full of grace and truth. And we, His disciples, beheld His 
p Jesus manifested forth glory,P so plainly manifested in His mighty works, and the 

His glorv, and His dis- ° . i 5 ,\ f 7 TT 7 .777.7 

cipies believed on Hira. wisdom unth which He spake : more particularly did some 
^WeVere eyewitnesses °f us {Peter, James, and John) behold His transcendent 
of His majesty; for He glory, when He was transfigured on the Holy Mount; 

received from God the a . . i 

Father honour and glory, which was indeed the glory such as might be expected of 

when there came such a ,i -it ... a r , i n ,i 

Voice to Him from the ™e only-oegotten Son of the Father. 

Excellent Glory, This is John bare the like witness of Him, asserting His pre- 

My beloved son, in whom ' "f * 

I am well pleased. And eminence above all ; and cried aloud, saying, This was He 

irom heaven we heard, of whom I spake, He that cometh into His high office after 

in^eHoijMouIt^p^ me is to be preferred before me; and most fitly so, for He 

i. 16—18. ever wa s {He existed) before me. — And of His inexhaust- 

1 it pleased the Father ible and overflowing fulness <i {the fulness of the eternal 

fuines^dweih CoLi. 19. Godhead) have all we that believe, without any exception 

thefuiSssofthTGo^head °f P ersons > received ; r and grace for grace {grace upon 

bodily. Col. ii. 9. grace, — in abundant and still-increasing measure) — even 

t Freely ye have re- the grace of Remission* the grace of Holiness, and the grace 

ceived. Matt. x. 8. / rr ■ 1 j. a • 

oj Acceptance : He remains our complete baviour, — our 
Guide in every step we make to Eternal Life. 

Even to our Lawgiver, great though he was, the Blessed 
Word is manifestly superior : for the Law was given indeed 
by {through) Moses, which was a high distinction conferred 
upon that patriarch: but the Law ivas only a preparatory 
* —justified freely by and so far imperfect dispensation ; and Grace, s bringing a 
oemp^on^usln Christ Z^ 6 pardon instead of its rigorous demands, — and Truth, 1 
Jesus. Rom. iii. 24. f ne su bstance of those good things which the Law did but 

Ye are not under the . 

Law, but under Grace, shadow forth in types and ceremonies, — these came {had 
their very being, Gr.) by Jesus Christ. — Since He is infi- 
youfrel Tr jo^ h viii m S e above all, there can be no other ivay of arriving at 

» And the Lord said Truth or of obtaining Grace : no man, — not Moses him- 
Thou canst not. see My self, — hath seen, or hath ever been able perfectly to compre- 
man see Me and live, hend the nature and attributes of God at any time ; u the 
Exod. xxxm. 20. only-begotten Son, for such was Jesus Christ by a mode of 

and \hT Father in^Me' 9 enera ^ on peculiar to Himself, — and which is in the bosom 
John xiv. 10. of the Father/ (5) being intimately and inseparably con- 

w No man knoweth the nected with Him, — Ii e alone hath declared His will and 
Matt^i.l" the S ° n ' My made Him known* 



( 5 ) In the bosom of the Father.] This phrase | The metaphor is probably taken from the fami- 
denotes the most entire intimacy and affection. 1 liar custom among the ancients of reclining at 
See Deut. xiii. 6, where it is spoken of a wife. | meals. (See John xiii. 23.) 



5 



SECTION III. 

The Birth of the Baptist foretold in a vision to Zacharias; 
and the Conception of Elizabeth. 

hake i. 5 — 25. 



THERE was in the days of Herod the Great, the King of 
Judea, (1) a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course 
of Abia, a { - 2) or Abijah; and his wife was one of the daughters • Thus were the priests 
{female descendants) of Aaron; and her name, like that of eighth* lot came forth to 
the wife of the first High-priest, was Elizabeth.— And £ b « 0 * h - 1 Ghron xxiv 
they were both accepted as righteous before God, for they 
were persons of genuine uprightness and integrity, walking 
in the observance of all the commandments and ordinances 
of the Lord [the moral as well as the ceremonial Law), and 
blameless b before men as well as pious towards God.— And b Touching the righte- 
they had no child, nor indeed now the hope of any, because LaTbiameiew. 1 Via. hl 
that Elizabeth was barren — notwithstanding ivhich she had 6 - 
never been divorced by her attached and pious husband; and 
they both were now well stricken (advanced) in years. (3) 

And it came to pass, that while he executed (dis- 
charged) the priest's office before God, in the order of his 
course, his lot, — the most solemn and honourable of all the 
offices so distributed, — was, according to the custom of the 
priest's office, to burn the evening incense c (4) when he went e And when Aaron 
into the Temple (5) (the Sanctuary) of the Lord, where the l ^\^^nSe^^on 
golden Altar of incense stood.— And the whole multitude of the alta *\ a P e n? etua J in- 

a J - cense before the Lord 

the people assembled were silently praying in the courts throughout your genera- 
without the Sanctuary at the time of the oblation of incense 10ns ' x ° ' xxx * 
— a solemnity which lasted about half an hour. — And as 
Zacharias entered the Sanctuary with his face towards the 



(!) Herod, the King of Judea.] This Herod, 
misnamed the Great,' — for he was remarkable 
only for the greatness of his vices, — obtained 
the crown through the influence of Marc Antony 
at Rome. He was a foreigner and a cruel 
prince, but by his address reigned thirty-seven 
years. 

( 2 ) Of the course of Abia.J This was the 
eighth of those twenty -four courses or classes 
into which the priests had been divided by David, 
each officiating one week, (See 1 Chron. xxiv. 
3, &c.) Ahia is the Greek for the Hebrew 
Abijah. 

( 3 ) Well stricken in years. ] Yet the age of 
Zacharias could not have exceeded fifty years, 
for after that a priest was superannuated. 
(See Numb. iv. 3.) 

( 4 ) To bum incense.] A rite typical of the 
Intercession of Christ. — Incense was an aromatic 
compound, consisting chiefly of a gum obtained 
from the trees of Arabia, and only allowed to be 
used in the Temple. This part of the Jewish 
ceremonial supposed the prayers of devout wor- 
shippers to be wafted to heaven in odoriferous 
wreaths. So David says, " Let my prayer be set 



forth before Thee as the incense." (Ps. cxli. 2.) 
See also Rev. viii. 4. 

( 5 ) When he went into the Temple.] This 
is a general expression for all the numerous 
buildings connected with the sacred edifice ; but 
Zacharias entered the Inner Temple or Sanctuary. 
This was separated from the Holy of Holies 
(into which the High -priest entered only once 
a year on the great day of Atonement) by a Vail, 
the same which was rent at the Crucifixion. The 
surrounding courts were thus divided: — the 
Outer Court, encompassing the whole, was named 
the Court of the Gentiles, which they alone oc- 
cupied, and beyond which they could not pass : 
within this court, and separated by a stone wall 
(to which St. Paul alludes, Ephes. ii. 13, 14), 
stood the Court of the Israelites, where the peo- 
ple were assembled for prayer on the present 
occasion ; it was divided into two parts, one for 
the women and the other for the men. Again, 
within this court was the Court of the Priests, and 
here the Altar stood, to which the people brought 
their oblations, though not permitted to enter. — 
For an historical account of this Second Temple, 
see Section XXII. Note 5. 



6 



THE BIRTH OF THE BAPTIST FORETOLD. 



*• Now the cherubims 
stood on the right side of 
the house when the man 
went in, and the cloud 
filled the inner court. 
Ezek. x. 3. 

e And Elizabeth brought 
forth a son, and her 
neighbours and cousins 
rejoiced with her. Luke 
i. 57, 58. 

f A Nazarite shall se- 
parate himself from wine 
and strong drink. Numb, 
vi. 3. 

e The child shall be a 
Nazarite unto God from 
the womb Judg. xiii. 5. 

Before thou earnest 
forth out of the womb I 
sanctified thee, and or- 
dained thee a prophet 
unto the nations. Jer. 
i. 5. 

God separated me from 
my mother's womb. Gal. 
i f 15. 

k Then went out to 
John Jerusalem, and all 
Judea, and all the region 
round about Jordan, and 
were baptized of him in 
Jordan, confessing their 
sins. Matt. iii. 5, 6. 

' Behold, I will send 
you Elijah the prophet, 
before the coming of the 
great and dreadful day of 
the Lord. Mai. iv. 5. 

His disciples asked 
Him, saying, Why say 
the Scribes that Elias 
must first come? Jesus 
answered, Elias truly shall 
first come and restore all 
things; but I say unto 
you, that Elias is come 
already Then the dis- 
ciples understood that He 
spake unto them of John 
the Baptist. Matt. xvii. 
10—13. 

k And he shall turn the 
heart of the fathers to the 
children, and the heart of 
the children to their fa- 
thers. Mai. iv. 6. 

1 And being not weak 
in faith, Abraham consi- 
dered not his own body 
now dead, when he was 
about an hundred years 
old, neither yet the dead- 
ness of Sarah's womb : he 
staggered not at the pro- 
mise of God through un- 
belief. Rom. iv. 19, 20. 

* While 1 was speak- 
ing in prayer, even Ga- 



west, there appeared unto him an Angel of the Lord 
standing near the table of shew-bread on the rights — or 
north, which was reckoned the propitious, — side of the Altar 
of incense. d And when Zacharias saw him, he was trou- 
bled at an appearance so unusual in those days, and fear 
fell upon him. But the Angel said unto him, Fear not, 
Zacharias; for thy prayer now offered up for the welfare 
and delivery of the people is heard, (6) as also the prayer of 
thy youth for offspring : and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear 
thee a sod, the forerunner of that illustrious Deliverer who 
is to come ; and thou shalt call his name John {signifying 
that "God is gracious*' to you). And thou shalt have joy 
and gladness at his birth, and many more shall rejoice e 
with thee: for he shall be a blessing to all mankind, and be 
great, — not indeed in outward splendour, but, which is of 
infinitely greater moment, — in the sight of the Lord Him- 
self, on account of his distinguished office. And, since it 
will be his part to preach Repentance, preparatory to the 
remission of sins, he shall set forth in his own person a 
remarkable pattern of self-denial: devoted entirely unto 
God, he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink f (fer- 
mented liquor of any kind) ; and he shall be filled with 
the influence of the Holy Ghost, even from his mothers 
wombs and his days of childhood. — And many of the 
children of Israel shall he turn {convert) by repentance to 
seek the Lord their God, h worshipping Him henceforth in 
spirit and in truth. And as the Prophet foretold, he shall 
go before HIM,-— the Redeemer, — in the spirit and power 
of Elias 1 {the zeal and mighty endowments of Elijah, the 
restorer of the Law), to turn again the hearts of the fathers 
to the children, 15 — now so divided among themselves through 
their differences, — by directing them all to One Master; 
and by guiding the disobedient to the wisdom of the Just 
One : thus, to make ready a people prepared for the service 
of the Lord. 

And Zacharias, — being weak in faith, and forgetful of 
the example of his great ancestor Abraham 1 upon a like 
occasion, — said unto the Angel, Whereby {by what sign) 
shall I know this improbable thing to be true ? for I am 
growing an old man, and my wife is already well stricken 
in years. And the Angel answering said unto him, I am 
Gabriel m (7) (i.e. " the Power of God"), of whom thou hast 



( 6 ) Thy prayer is heard.'] That the prayer of 
Zacharias on this occasion- was for the public 
welfare we must conclude, as the priests in this 
office considered themselves as the mouth of the 
people. Yet from the known wish of Jewish 
parents for offspring, — especially those who, like 
this aged couple, were looking for the Messiah, — 
and also from the exulting speech of Elizabeth, 



that her reproach was at length taken away, we 
may conceive that they had in their younger 
days wished for a son. 

( 7 ) I am Gabriel.'] This angel, who appeared 
to Daniel at the same time of the Evening Ob- 
lation, had been in like manner sent to speak to 
that prophet concerning the Messiah, and to 
reveal the particular time of H^s coming. 



THE CONCEPTION OF ELIZABETH. 



7 



read, that stand,— so highly favoured am I, — in the imme- briei, whom I had seen in 
diate presence of God; and, as one of His chief ministering ^ng^Teing^auted b to 8 fly 
spirits, am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee swittiy, touched me about 

. . the time 01 the evening 

these glad tidings. And, behold, both as a sign that I oblation ; and he informed 

s> 7 7 •/ , , 7 , p n «»t me and talked with me. 

come from God, and as a judgment upon thy want of faith, Dan. ix. 21,22. 
thou shalt be from this moment dumb, and not able to 
speak, until the day that these things shall be performed 11 m *j£ * at ^J n * all ^5 
in the birth and circumcision of thy son, — because thou thou shalt speak and be 

, ,. J . 1 , . , , n t r irn i no more dumb; and thou 

believest not my words, which shall assuredly be iumlled shalt be a sign unto them, 

in their season. fJJMUrS* 

And the people waited the usual time for Zach arias to *xiv. 27. 

dismiss them with the accustomed blessing ; 0 and they mar- 0 On this wise ye shall 

•ni 7 . 777 7 7 n i i , • 1 t • bless the children of Is- 

velled what could have happened that he tarried so long in rae i ; sav i ng unto t hem, 
the inner Temple. And when he came out, he could not , The 4 Lord ™ e *l th f e T l 

A keep thee ; the Lord make 

speak unto them ; and they perceived that he had seen a His face to shine upon 

• . -1 m 1 c ill i ,i ... thee and be gracious unto 

vision m the 1 emple, tor he beckoned unto them, mh- thee ; the Lord lift up His 

mating by signs what had taken place : and afterwards he aT^give^thT 11 petcl 

remained speechless [both deafi and dumb, Gr.), thus greatly NlimD - vi - 23—26. 

exciting the public expectation of what would follow. p And they made signs 

a j ' . , i . . i t «. to his father how he 

And it came to pass, that as soon as the seven days 01 wou i d have him called, 
his ministration were accomplished,— -for he still attended Luke *■ 63 - 
the Temple to finish such official duties as he was able to 
perform, — he departed to his own house at Hebron, situ- 
ated in the hilly country of Judea. And soon after those 
days, his wife Elizabeth conceived in accordance with the 
declaration of the Angel, and hid [sequestered) herself from 
the world for the space of five months, saying, Thus 
mercifully hath the Lord dealt with me, in the days q Aud she conoeived 
wherein He looked with favour on me, to take away my and bare a son > and said > 

1 ,m . , . y 7 „ God hath taken away my 

reproach q among men w in being childless. reproach. Gen. xxx. 23. 



( 8 ) My reproach among men. ] To be child- 
less was reckoned a great affliction among the 
Jews, and was even looked upon as a sign of 
God's displeasure ; for, besides the promises 
connected with the multiplication of the holy 
people (Gen. xiii. 16 ; xv. 5), it was a gloomy 
prospect that a family-name should perish. 



Elizabeth may have sought retirement on this 
occasion, not only for the reason to be inferred 
of devout meditation, but also to avoid the 
doubts and comments of the world upon her 
situation ; likewise it would be proper to avoid 
ceremonial defilements, as she was to give birth 
to a Nazarite. 



8 



SECTION IV. 

The Annunciation by the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin 
Mary at Nazareth. 

Luke i. 26—38. 

AND in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the 
same angel Gabriel who had appeared unto Zacharias, 
was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, (1) 
to a Virgin, of the royal though now decayed house (family) 
of David, and recently espoused (2) (contracted in marriage) 
to a man whose name was Joseph, — a poor carpenter, hut 
descended from the same illustrious ancestor. And the 
Virgin^s name was Mary. (3) 

And the Angel came in to the house where she abode, 
and said unto her, Hail, thou that art highly favoured 
above all other Jewish matrons ; the Lord is (be) with 
a Blessed above women thee : blessed (most happy) art thou among women ! a 

shall Jael the wife of He- ait t -i • t t i i / tt\ 

ber the Kenite be. Judg. And when she saw him, she was troubled (perplexed) 
v " 24 at his saying, and cast (revolved) in her mind what manner 

of salutation this should be (what could be the import of so 
remarkable an address). And the Angel said unto her, 
Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found peculiar favour with 
God: and behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and 
bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS, (4) 



( 1 ) A city of Galilee, named Nazareth.] Ga- 
lilee was the most northern part of Palestine, 
divided into Upper and Lower Galilee, the for- 
mer being called also " Galilee of the Gentiles," 
because it bordered on the Gentile nations and 
was partly inhabited by heathen. On its north 
side it was bounded by Lebanon and Syria; on 
the south by Samaria ; on the west by Phoeni- 
cia; and on the east by the river Jordan. Jo- 
sephus represents the whole country as being in 
his time fruitful and exceedingly populous, there 
being in the lesser towns fifteen thousand inha- 
bitants. Nazareth was one of the small cities 
of Lower Galilee, lying westward of Mount Ta- 
bor. The place is said to contain now about 
three thousand inhabitants. The valley on the 
western slope of which it stands is described as 
being still a very beautiful and fertile spot, fifteen 
barren mountains rising in a circle — as round the 
edge of a shell — to guard it from intrusion. In 
our Lord's time it had sunk very low indeed. 
(See Section XIV. Note 1.) 

( 2 ) Espoused.] It was common among the 
Jews, after a woman had been betrothed, for her 
husband not to take her home or celebrate the 
nuptials immediately. (See Gen. xxiv. 55 ; 
Deut. xx. 7; Judg. xiv. 8.) 

( 3 ) And the Virgin's name was Mary.] This 
name signifies " Exalted." It is the same 
with the Hebrew name of Miriam, Aaron's sis- 
ter, while that of Elizabeth is the same with 
that of Elisheba, Aaron's wife. 

( 4 ) Thou shalt call His name Jesus. ] This name, 
which signifies " God the Saviour," or " the 



Salvation of God," corresponds with the name 
of Emmanuel, — that is, "God with us," — in 
the celebrated prediction of Isaiah (vii. 14), to 
which no doubt allusion is made here. Jesus is 
a Greek corruption of Joshua, a name which had 
before been borne by two eminent men, both 
types of the divine and true Joshua. The first 
was the son of Nun, the friend and successor of 
Moses, who led the chosen people to the earthly 
Canaan, and gave them rest from their enemies ; 
a rest which St. Paul calls a figure of that rest 
which yet remaineth in heaven (the true Canaan) 
for the people of God. The other Joshua was 
the son of Josedek, who was High-priest on the 
return from the Captivity ; several prophecies are 
addressed to him by Haggai and Zechariah, who 
call him " the Branch," as typical of Jesus. 

Although our blessed Lord has many names 
which command our reverence, that of " Jesus," 
or Saviour, is to us higher than any, pre-emi- 
nently claiming our gratitude. That it might in 
all ages be honoured as it deserved, St. Paul tells 
us, that the Father had decreed, that " At the 
name of Jesus every knee should bow." (Phil, 
ii. 10.) The other usual name, that of " Christ,'' 
(equivalent to the Hebrew Messiah,) is chiefly 
used as our Lord's official designation, meaning 
one who is "Anointed." It is perhaps better to 
employ the name of Jesus when we would draw 
attention to the Salvation which He has wrought 
for us, and that of Christ when we would dwell 
upon His dignity and claims to obedience as 
our King: and to those who have the faintest 
notions of His excellence and (heir infinite obtiya- 



THE ANNUNCIATION. 



9 



because He is to be the Divine SAVIOUR of mankind. He 
shall be beyond all conception great, and shall be called 
(shall be) the Son of the Highest ; b and the Lord God 
shall give unto Him that Spiritual Kingdom typified by the 
throne of David, His earthly father, — to whose Seed the 
memorable promise of an everlasting Kingdom was made. 
And He shall reign over the house of Jacob (His peculiar 
Church and people) for ever ; and, while all other empires 
shall successively be dissolved, of His Kingdom there shall 
be no end. c 

Then said Mary unto the Angel, How shall this be, 
seeing that 1 am a virgin and know not a man ? And, as 
she spoke this in a surprise which was but natural at so 
strange an event, and not like Zacharias in any spirit of 
unbelief the Angel graciously answered, and said unto 
her; "The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth" 
(Jer. xxxi. 22), for the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, 
and the power of the Highest shall overshadow (exert 
its Omnipotent energy over) thee: therefore, also, that 
Holy Thing (that Holy Progeny) which shall be born of 
thee shall be truly called the Son of God. And behold, 
to assure thee of the fulfilment of this promise, thy cousin 
Elizabeth/ 5 ) she hath also, through the favour and miracu- 
lous interposition of God, already conceived a son in her 
old age; and this is now the sixth month of pregnancy 
with her who was commonly called barren. Doubt not thou 
therefore; for, as it was said in rebuke of the incredulous 
Sarah, with God nothing shall be impossible.* 1 

And Mary said, Behold the unworthy handmaid of the 
Lord, — perfectly resigned to the Almighty will : be it unto 
me according to thy word. — And the Angel departed from 
her. 



b Jesus, Thou Son of the 
most High God. Mark v. 
7. 

Unto which of the an- 
gels said God at any time, 
Thou art my Son, this 
day have I begotten thee? 
And again, I will he to 
Him a Father, and He shal 1 
be to Me a Son? Heb. i. 5. 

c When thou shalt sleep 
with thy fathers, I will set 
up thy Seed after thee ; 
and I will stablish the 
throne of His kingdom for 
ever. 2 Sam. vii. 12, 13. 

The Lord hath sworn 
in truth unto David ; He 
will not turn from it; Of 
the fruit of thy body will I 
set upon thy throne for ev- 
ermore. Ps. cxxxii. 11,12. 

Unto us a Child is born ; 
unto us a Son is given ; 
and the government shall 
be upon His shoulder. 
Of the increase of His 
government there shall be 
no end, upon the throne 
of David, and upon his 
kingdom to order it, from 
henceforth even for ever. 
Is. ix. 6, 7. 

His dominion is an ev- 
erlasting dominion, which 
shall not pass away, and 
His kingdom that which 
shall not be destroyed. 
Dan. vii. 14. 

Unto the Son,Godsaith, 
Thy throne, O God, is for 
ever and ever. Heb. i. 8. 

d And the Lord said 
unto Abraham, Wherefore 
did Sarah laugh, saying, 
Shall I of a surety bear a 
child, which am old ? Is 
anything too hard for the 
Lord? Gen. xviii. 13, 14. 

All things are possible 
to him that believeth. 
Mark ix. 23. 



Hons to Him, these names, whether taken toge- 
ther or separately, sound too familiar from their 
resemblance to ordinary names and surnames, 
unless accompanied by the title of Our Lord. 

Overshadow.} There is an elegant metaphor 
in this word. The power of God, by which He 
guards and protects His people is frequently com- 
pared in Scripture to a shadow (Ps. lvii. 1; xci. 
1) ; but it appears in this passage to have another 
and peculiar meaning : — The operation of the 
Holy Spirit was secret, as though an intervening 
cloud did not permit it to be beheld by mortal 



eye. In the performance of miracles, God with- 
holds the manner of His proceedings ; and that 
which He manifestly chooses to conceal from us 
must be submissively viewed on our part with 
silent seriousness and adoration. 

(") Thy cousin Elizabeth.'] They were kins- 
women by the mothers side, Elizabeth being a 
descendant of Aaron by her paternal line. Heir- 
esses of the family of the priesthood were alone 
forbidden to marry into another tribe ; and it 
appears that the families of Aaron and David 
had frequently intermarried. 



10 



SECTION V. 
Mary visits Elizabeth. 
Luke i. 39—56. 

AND Mary arose in those days and went into the hill 
country a with haste, into Hebron, a city of Juda, W 
country of Judah. josh. ^ v ^ ^ er kinswoman Elizabeth, whose miraculous concep- 
tion the Angel had announced. And having arrived there, 
she entered into the house of Zach arias, and saluted 
Elizabeth. 

And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the 
salutation of Mary, the babe, moved by a Divine impulse, 
leaped, as it were, in her womb; and Elizabeth was imme- 
diately filled with the Holy Ghost [with the Spirit of 
Prophecy), and she spake with a loud voice, and, saluting 
Mary in the very words of the Angel, said, Blessed art thou 
among women; and blessed is the holy fruit of thy 
b As He spake, a certain womb! b And whence is this honour done to me, that the 
E an „p°he* e v:rc7S Mother of my Lord should deign to come to me, as a 
said untoHim, Blessed is q Ues t under my humble roof? For lo, as soon as the voice 

the womh that hare Thee. * f . . , 

Luke xi. 27. of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped m 

my womb for joy. And truly blessed is she that believed, 
— a worthy daughter of faithful Abraham, and staggering 
not at the promises of God; for there shall assuredly be 
a performance of those things which were told her from 
the Lord. 

And Mary, confirmed the more in her belief by these 
inspiring words, broke forth into a transport of holy joy, 
and said: — 

a My soul, with its utmost powers, doth magnify and 
"praise the Lord;( 2 ) and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, 



( 1 ) Into a city of Juda.] The city of He- 
bron, which is no doubt here referred to, was given 
to the children of Aaron the priest (Josh. xxi. 
13) ; and after the Captivity, the priests returned 
to their heritage. There Abraham had his first 
land, David his first crown ; and it was suitable 
that the Saviour's forerunner should be born at a 
place which on many other accounts had been so 
celebrated. No traces now remain of its ancient 
glory. Earthquakes and wars, pestilence and 
famine have passed over it ; and a small town of 
white houses, compactly built on the side of the 
mountain, a mosque and two minarets, are all 
that mark the ancient city of Hebron. The 
inhabitants consist chiefly of seven or eight hun- 
dred Arab families, and are reckoned the most 
lawless and desperate in the Holy Land. 

( 2 ) My soul doth magnify the Lord.] The ad- 
mirable Hymn commencing with these words will 
be familiar as incorporated into the Even- 
ing Service of our Church. The Hebrews were 
accustomed thus to express their joy or affliction 



in irregular hymns without metre. Many of the 
phrases employed on this occasion are taken from 
the Old Testament ; and the circumstance is one 
collateral proof that the Old and New Testa- 
ments are from the same Spirit of Inspiration ; it 
also shews that the mind of the Virgin was 
deeply impressed with the language and senti- 
ments of Scripture : her hymn resembles in par- 
ticular that of Hannah, the mother of Samuel 
(1 Sam. ii. 1, &c), in which the blessed fruit 
of the Virgin's womb is first celebrated by a 
woman, and under the title of Messiah, or King ■ 
there is, however, this striking difference, that 
Hannah, in the fulness of her triumph, dwells on 
her aggrandisement, while Mary thinks chiefly 
of the lowliness of her condition.— -It is remark- 
able that two of the sentiments expressed in this 
Hymn, as illustrative of the Divine Power, are 
found in a heathen writer. Seneca says, with 
St. Luke (i. 51), Sequitur superbos Ultor a tergo 
Deus; and again (at i. 52), Qui regna miseris 
donat, et celsis rapit. 



MARY VISITS ELIZABETH. 



11 



" — who is my Saviour/ as He is the Saviour of all man- ° My soul shall b e joy 

J > J ful in the Lord; it shall 

" kind. For He hath favourably regarded the low estate rejoice in His salvation. 

" (the mean condition) of His handmaiden: for behold \ \\\s\ rejoice in the 

" from henceforth, not thou or my contemporaries alone, but ^°*£> o * w ^ j°^" ti * e 

" all future generations shall call me blessed (shall pro- Hab. m. ia 

I 7 7 \ -fi tt i . • ^ The Lord hath done 

" nounce me truly happy among women), lor He, that is g^at things for us. p s . 
" beyond conception Mighty, hath done to me great and and reverend 

" unheard of things/ and Holy is His name. e And His is His name. Ps. cxi. 9. 

. . * Showing mercy unto 

" mercy is ever shewed from generation to generation thousands. Exod. xx. 6. 

" (descending even to children's children) on them that fear is ^oirT^evCTiL^ng^to 

& Him; f for in me hath He now eminently rewarded the ^ffe^H^ 0 "^^™ 

" piety of David, my illustrious forefather. Likewise His righteousness unto chii- 

cc • . TT . 7 /» 7 7 . ,. /. ,1 c tt dren's children. Ps. ciii. 

"power is seen m His wonderful dispensations; for thus He 17> 

" ( hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the e Awake awake, put 

& *f * on strength, O arm of the 

"'mighty' (1 Cor. i. 27): He hath shewed strength with Lord. is. ii. 9. 
"Hisarm;g( 3 ) He hath scattered (utterly discomfited) the bare His holy arm inthe 
" proud in the vain imagination of their hearts ; He hath put g 1 *. of 1Q a11 the nations ' 
" down the mighty from their seats (deposing even princes h The Lord raiseth up 
"from their thrones), and exalted them of low degree. h and lifteth up the beggar 
" He hath filled the hungry, and mch as implicitly trust to 
"His gracious Providence, with all good things 1 needful make them inherit^ the 
"for them; and the arrogant, self-satisfied rich He hath a™ 6 ° 8 ° iy ' am 
" stripped of their possessions, and sent them empty away: k th J s ° £ b e P lo ™. 2 
"in like manner will the Almighty Father watch over and those which mourn may 

a u .be exalted. Job v. 11. 

" cherish those who hunger after righteousness, while the Though the Lord be 

"self-righteous He utterly rejects. — To His own peculiar uSo'the bwiy^Vut^e 

"people He hath been ever gracious; and now by fulfilling v ™%YlJ^vZ\% **** 

" the great promise of a Saviour He hath especially holpen 1 They that seek the 

ce , 7\ tt , t i i • i f tt' Lord shall not want any 

{succoured) His servant Israel, 1 m remembrance ot His g00 d thing. Ps.xxxiv.io. 
" mercy to Abraham and to his seed for ever, as He spake ^Jf^^HE 
** to our fathers." cvji.^. ^ ^ it th ' 

And Mary abode with her kinswoman about three 

his riches shall fall. Prov 

months, and then returned to her own house in Nazareth. xl ' A 2 s 8 ' the flower of the 

grass, the rich shall pass away. Jas. i. 10. 

1 He hath remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel. Ps. xcviii. 3. 



( 3 ) He hath shewed strength with His arm.] 
The arm is the chief symbol of strength in Scrip- 
ture, by which God is said to avenge Himself. 
Thus, in the display of the Egyptian wonders, the 
smaller plagues, such as that of the lice, are said 
to be wrought by the finger of God (Exod. viii. 
19); some of the greater miracles by His hand 
(Exod. iii. 20), but the utter discomfiture of 



Pharaoh and all his host, " by the greatness of 
His arm"' (Exod. xv. 16). — In the passage of 
the text which follows this, "He hath put down 
the mighty," &c, there may he an allusion to 
the exaltation to the throne of Mary's great 
ancestor David, he being taken from the sheep- 
fold, while Saul was deposed and completely 
overthrown iu battle. 



12 



SECTION VI. 

Elizabeth bears a Son, who is named John; and Zacharias 

trophesies. 



N' 



Luke L 57—80. 

OW Elizabeths full time came that she should be 
delivered ; and she brought forth a son, according to the 
prediction of the Angel. And her neighbours and her cousins 
heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her, 
in giving her a child after so long a period of barrenness : 
and they congratulated and rejoiced with her. 

And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came, 
* And Abraham cir- as the Law required, to circumcise, 51 and, as was customary 
Sgelgh^daYroid^S °^ the same time, to name the child. And they called (were 
God commanded him. about to call) him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 

Gen. xxi 4. ' 7 

And his mother, having understood beforehand from her hus- 
band what ivas the command given by the Angel, answered 
(addressed them) and said, It must not be so, but he shall 
be called John. And they said unto her, But there is none 
of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they 
made signs to his father to ascertain how he would have 
him called. And he asked by signs for a writing-table/ 1} 
and wrote, saying (wrote these words), His name is John. 
And they marvelled all, for they knew not that it had been 
already so determined by the Angel, 

And the period, during which Zacharias was to continue 
dumb, having now expired with the naming of the child, 
immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue be- 
^ came loosed, and he spake plain; and, as the first and 

most fitting employment of his restored faculty, he praised 
God, — acknowledging Ms sin and the justice of his punish- 
ment. And fear (religious awe) came on all that dwelt 
round about them ; and all these sayings and remarkable 
events were noised abroad throughout all the hill country 
of Judea. And all they that heard them treated them not 
as matters of ordinary intelligence, but laid them up in 
their hearts, saying one to another, What manner of child 
shall this be [what sort of man will this child become), whose 
birth has been so extraordinary ? 

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy 
Ghost, and prophesied, saying : — 

' f Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He hath once 



(*) A writing-table.] This is supposed to 
denote the small square writing-board whitened 
over, or smeared with wax, on which the An- 
cients, not having the use of paper, were accus- 
tomed to write. Such a contrivance is said to 



be even now used in the East. The instrument 
employed for writing was an iron pen or style, 
by which characters were marked on the soft 
material covering the table. 



ZACHARIAS PROPHESIES. 13 

" again mercifully visited and redeemed His people, b and |» The Lord visited the 

* . , T , „ o i • /ox children of Israel, and 

" hath at length raised up for us an H orn of salvation W looked upon their afflic 

" (a mighty royal Saviour) in the house of His servant tl0 ° A^the^Lord God 

" David, as He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, said unto the serpent, The 

i • i , , , 5 7 Seed of the woman shall 

" which have been since the world began ; c namely, bruise thy head. Gen. > 

"That we should be saved, as from our temporal, so from Behold, the days tome 

"our spiritual enemies, Sin. and Death, and Satan, and saith the Lord, that I will 

r n "it i f n i i a a i ,7 • .77 it raise unto David a right- 

"from the hand ol all that hate us. a Ana tins will tie eous Branch, and a King 

"now fulfil, in order to perform the mercy promised to our ^Hird^s^daTffi 

" fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, — confirmed \ Q saved and Israel shall 

' J ait dwell safely. Jer. xxui. 

" by the oath which He sware to our father Abraham/— 5, 6. 

"that unto us/ the heirs of the Promise, He would grant, J^^^JS 

"that we, being delivered without fear out of the hand of Jem, md redeemed them 

"'our enemies, might serve Him, walking in holiness and enemy. p s . cvi. 10. 

" righteousness before Him, all the days of our life. e 1 win fememher My 

° y J \ covenant with Jacob, and 

" And thou, my highly-favoured child, shalt be called also My covenant with 

"the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the nanT'wlth Abraham °wm 

" face of the Lord Jesus, to prepare His ways/ as it has I ^ emember - Lev - mL 

' " been foretold of thee by the Prophets : to give unto His f i will establish My 

"people knowledge of Salvation,— no longer attainable by ZT^I^^^r 

" the righteousness of the Law, but — by the remission of their thee > in their , generations, 

. . \ iii /. ^ i i i i for aD everlasting cove- 

" sms through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the nant, to be a God unto 

" Day Spring,— the dawning which precedes the ''Rising Sun ^ 

ce of Righteousness" (Mal.iv.2), — hath already visited us, to * The voice of him 

CL t +. , , - ■, . t , ., . . . that crieth in the wilder- 

" give light trom on nign to them that, as prisoners in a neS s, Prepare ye the way 

"dungeon, sit in spiritual darkness and in the shadow of of B e hdd d i wnfsendMy 

" death h — to guide our feet, as those of benighted travellers messenger, and he shall 

" waiting for the dawn, into the way of safety and peace/ 5 Me^Mahm^if 6 ° re 

k The people thatwalk- 

* ill i/«iT , ed in darkness have seen 

And the child John grew, and the hand of the Lord a Great Light; they that 

was with him : 1 and he waxed strong in spirit, increasing shadow" of^death, "upon 

daily in wisdom as in stature : and was there in the tbem , H th . the „ Li s ht 

^ m shined. Isa. ix. 2. 

deserts {the hill country), devoutly meditating and preparing \ And the child grew, 

for his work, till the day of his shewing himself unto j;^^."^ 1 ^ 
Israel and entering upon his public mink 



( 2 ) An Horn of Salvation.] The strength of 
beasts is in their horns, and hence the sacred 
writers, when they would speak of great strength, 
make use of this metaphor (see Ps. lxxv. 10; 
Jer. xlviii. 25). — Next it imports honour and 
triumph, as when the horn is "exalted" (Ps. lxxv. 
4; lxxxix. 24). — From the union of these, it 
comes to signify, as it does here, Regal Power 
(Zech. i. 18, 19; Dan. vii. 24; Rev. xiii. 1). 
— The Horn of Salvation in the house of David 
especially denotes the Kingdom of Christ (Ps. 
xviii, 2; cxxxii. 17). 



( 3 ) The Day Spring.] Many Commentators 
understand the Messiah Himself to be intended 
by this expression — for which interpretation some 
forcible arguments might be adduced; but it 
seems to apply here with a more striking pro- 
priety to the Baptist, — that Dawning Light 
which had already appeared to the Jews. (Con- 
sult John i. 7—9; v. 35),— This view of the 
passage is adopted by some able foreign com- 
mentators, and by Bentley, Parkhurst, and 
Bowyer among our own critics. 



14 



SECTION VII. 

An Angel informs Joseph of the miraculous and immaculate 
Conception of his Virgin Bride. 

Matt. i. 18—25. 



a And they sent forth 
spies, which should feign 
themselves just men : and 
they asked Him, Is it law- 
ful for us to give tribute 
to Ceesar? Luke xx. 
20—22. 

He is just to forgive 
us our sins. 1 John i. 9. 

b When a man hath 
taken a wife and married 
her, and it come to pass 
that she lind no favonr 
in his eyes, because he 
hath found some unclean- 
ness in her ; then let him 
write her a bill of divorce- 
ment, and give it in her 
hand, and send her out of 
Lis house. Deut. xxiv. 1. 



e When He cometh 
into the world, He saith, 
A body hast THOU pre- 
pared Me. Heb. x. 5. 

d There is none other 
name under heaven, given 
among men, whereby we 
must be saved. Acts iv. 12. 



ATOW the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise (in the 
.Jl manner following) : — When as (Namely) His mother 
Mary was espoused (contracted in marriage) to Joseph, and 
before they came (cohabited) together, she was found with 
child, by the miraculous power of the Holy Ghost over- 
shadowing her. Then Joseph her husband (I) being a just a 
man (observant of the Law), but on the other hand of 
merciful disposition and not willing to make her a public 
example by exposing her sin, was minded (was inclined) to 
put her away privily b in the manner prescribed by the 
Law, — that is, by giving her a bill of divorcement, without 
assigning any cause, in the presence of two witnesses. 

But while he thought within himself on these things, 
for he would not proceed hastily, behold the angel of the 
Lord appeared unto him in a dream, — in the manner of 
the Divine communications to God's prophets and people of 
old, — saying, Joseph, thou son (descendant) of David, fear 
not, from any doubts of her purity, to take unto thee Mary 
thy wife, but receive her at once from her" parents into thine 
house; for that which is conceived in her is begotten by the 
miraculous energy of the Holy Ghost. c And she shall 
bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS, 
for He shall SAVE d His people from both the punishment 
and the dominion of their sins. (2) 

Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled ^ 
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet (so that that 
was made good which was spoken by the Holy Spirit through 
the prophet Isaiah, ch. vii. v. 14,) seven hundred and forty 
years before, saying, Behold a Virgin (the Virgin, 



' (') Her husband.} So was the bridegroom 
called during the space of time which usually in- 
tervened between the espousals and the nuptials 
(see Section IV. Note 2). Such, however, was 
the strict nature of this engagement, that un- 
faithfulness to each other was considered as 
adultery, and, upon proof of guilt, the punish- 
ment was iapidation (Deut. xxii. 23, &c.) 

( 2 ) He shall save His people from their sins.} 
A short but a very weighty phrase. By our 
Lord's people is clearly meant all the faithful, 
whether Jews or Gentiles ( Isa. liii. 1 1 ; John 
vi. 37). The name of " Saviour" having been 
hitherto appropriated by the Jews to such as 
delivered them from their enemies, is here applied 
by the Angel in a spiritual sense to correct, at 
the very commencement of the New Kingdom, 



the idea of a temporal Messiah. So at Acts v- 
31. — The words in the text should always re- 
mind us of our salvation, not only from the con- 
sequences of sin, but from its slavery: the in- 
fluence of the Spirit of Christ is to lead on be- 
lievers to personal holiness ; and sanctification, 
as well as justification, must be considered as 
implied in the Gospel-Covenant. 

( 3 ) That it might be fulfilled.} It must not be 
supposed that predicted events accomplished in 
the Gospel were decreed by God. What the 
Prophets had predicted was indeed certain to 
come to pass ; but such events did not happen 
because they were foretold; they were for the 
wisest reasons foretold, because it was foreseen 
that they would happen. 



AN ANGEL APPEARS TO JOSEPH. 



1:3 



"whose Seed should bruise the Serpent's head") shall be 

WITH CHILD AND SHALL BRING FORTH A SON, AND 

they shall call His name (His name shall be called, 
i. e., He shall be) Emmanuel, (4) which being interpreted 
is, GOD WITH US. 

Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel 
of the Lord had bidden him, for he doubted not that the 
message was from God; and he forthwith took home unto 
nim Mary his wife, and knew her not till she had brought 
forth her first-born Son.-* 5 ) 



SECTION VIII. 

Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem in Judea, where the Holy 

Child is born. 

Luke ii. 1 — 7- 

AND it came to pass in those days, — soon after the \ ™™ Paul ha< J a P- 

1 -i p pealed to be reserved un- 

birth of John, — that there went out a decree from to the hearing of Augus- 

Caesar Augustus a W that all the world ( 2 ) should be taxed bTke P ?thatTmigh™end 

(the Roman emperor issued an edict that the whole popu- jj m t0 Csesdr - Acts xxv - 

lation of the empire should be enrolled for the purpose of 

assessment). And this taxing b (the assessment itself) was b Judas of Galilee rose 

' . ° . up in the days of the tax- 
first made when Cyremus, eleven years after, was governor i ng . Acts v. 37. 



( 4 ) Emmanuel.'] It is no objection that 
Christ was not called by this name, if He was 
actually " God with ws." The Hebrew verb ren- 
dered " shall be called" commonly signifies " shall 
be." With respect to the famous prophecy 
here referred to (Isa. vii. 10-16), the sign which 
it speaks of does not necessarily relate to a child 
born in the time of Ahaz, for the promise of a 
sign was not made to him who distinctly refused 
to ask a sign, but to the house of David at that 
time endangered. The Evangelist cites no 
more of it than that part which relates to the 
miraculous birth of Christ, and which is ad- 
dressed in the plural number to the house of 
David, assuring them in effect that the promises 
to their fathers should be fulfilled. What fol- 
lows afterwards of the prophecy relates to 
Isaiah's son, and is addressed in the singular 
number to Ahaz to support him in his immediate 
distress. 

( 5 ) Her first-born Son.] The expression 
■first-born (which the Coptic Version, — one of 
great value and antiquity, — omits here) does 
not determine whether Mary had more children 
or not, but it is sometimes employed where 
there was only one child. The suffrage of Anti- 
quity for the most part decides that the Virgin 
had not any other children. We find our Lord 
consigning her at His death (as though she had 
none to whom she had a right to look for main- 
tenance), to the care of the beloved disciple. 
The words "knew her not, till &c," do not 



necessarily imply Joseph's knowledge of her 
afterwards. Compare 1 Sam. xv. 35. This 
point, however, is one of those into which we 
need not particularly enquire. And we may 
best conclude, with Basil, that "though it was 
necessary for the completion of Prophecy, that 
Mary should continue a Virgin until she had 
brought forth her first-born Son, yet what she 
was afterwards need not be determined, as it is 
of no manner of concern to the mystery." 

(!) CcBsar Augustus.] This was Octavianus, 
the nephew of Julius Caesar. When he suc- 
ceeded to the empire, he took the name of Au- 
gustus (that is, august or "honourable"), as a 
compliment to his own greatness. Judea was 
tributary to Rome, and he ordered this Census to 
be taken, for registering the population, prepara- 
tory to taxation. 

( 2 ) All the world.] This expression is often 
used in a confined sense by those later Greek 
writers, who, like the Jews, were subjects of the 
Roman empire : and the writers of the New Tes- 
tament following the example of the politer 
writers of the time, may be only alluding here 
(as some think) to Palestine, and we find them 
doing so elsewhere when using the same expres- 
sion (see Matt. iv. 8; Actsxi. 28; Rom. iv. 13). 
It appears, however, from history, that a Census 
of the whole Roman empire was taken about this 
time. 



iG 



JOSEPH AND MARY GO TO BETHLEHEM. 



« But thou, Bethlehem 
Ephrata, though thou be 
little among the thousands 
of Judah, yet out of thee 
shall He come forth unto 
Me, that is to be Ruler in 
Israel ; whose goings forth 
have been from of old, 
from everlasting. Mie. v. 
2. 

d Hath not the Scrip- 
ture said, That Christ 
cometh of the seed of 
David, and out of the 
town of Bethlehem where 
David was ? John vii. 42. 

And David answered, 
I am the son of thy serv- 
ant Jesse, the Bethle- 
hemite. 1 Sam. xvii. 58. 



of Syria. (3) And all the Jews went to be taxed, every one 
into his own city, for there the records of each family were 
kept. 

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city 
of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, w 7 hich is 
called Bethlehem, 0 (4) — because he was of the house and 
lineage of David, d — to be taxed with Mary his espoused 
wife, being now great with child. And so it was pro- 
videntially brought to pass that, while they were there, the 
days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 
And she brought forth her first-born Son and wrapped 
Him in swaddling-clothes, and laid Him in a manger (5> 
of the nearest stable or out-building, because, from the 
great influx of persons who had come to be enrolled, there 
was no room for them in the inn. 



SECTION IX. 
Legal Genealogy of Jesus Christ. 

(From Abraham, the legal Ancestor of Jesus, down to Joseph, His reputed Father.) 

Matt. i. 1—17. 

» This is the book of rPHE Book of the generation 3 [the genealogy) of Jesus 
Gen g v ne h tl0ns 0 ^ _1_ Christ, the Son {descendant) of David, b the son of 
b Jesus asked them say- Abraham c to whom the promises were first made. 

mg, What think ye ot jt j 

Christ? whose Son is Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and 

The Son of David. Matt.' Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; and Judas begat 

^resti' Christ our Lord, P nares and Zara of Thamar ; and Phares begat Esrom ; 

which was made of the an( l Esrom begat Aram ; and Aram begat Aminadab ; and 

Seed of David according .t- _. t itvt i oi i 

to the flesh. Rom. i. 3. Ammadab begat JNaasson; and JNaasson begat salmon; and 
L^,M^llrfhl e Salmon begat Booz of Rachab (Boat of Rahab) ; andBooz 

out of Heaven, and said, By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, in thy Seed shall all the nations of 

the earth he blessed. Gen. xxii. 15 — 18. — To Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He saith not, 
And to Seeds, as of many; but as of one; and to thy Seed, which is Christ. Gal. iii. 16. 



( 3 ) Syria.'] The exact bounds of ancient 
Syria have never been determined, but such was 
the general name for the country north of Pales- 
tine, which lay between the Euphrates on the 
east, the Mediterranean on the west, Mount 
Taurus on the north, and Arabia on the south. 
The region now called Syria includes Palestine. 

( 4 ) Bethlehem.] Prophecy had declared that 
Christ was to come u out of Bethlehem of Ju- 
dea." This village, seated on a hill, six miles 
from Jerusalem, was formerly called Bethlehem 
Ephrata or Ephrath (Gen. xxxv. 19), and after- 
wards Bethlehem Judah, to distinguish it from 
another place of the name in Galilee (Josh. xix. 
15). That Bethlehem Judah and Bethlehem 
Ephrata were the same, appears from comparing 
Ruth i. 1, with Ruth iv. 11. — However impro- 
bable it might seem that the Saviour should be 
born at a distance of fifty miles (or about three 
days' journey) from the abode of Joseph at 
Nazareth, the event was providentially brought 1 



about by this enrolment. Another prophecy, by 
the dying Jacob (Gen. xlix. 10), was thus veri- 
fied, for the enrolment being made by order of a 
foreign potentate, proved that the Sceptre had 
departed from Judah, and that the full time had 
arrived for "Shiloh" to appear. Bethlehem now 
appears as a confused and irregular pile of white 
buildings; but the Christian convent there is 
one of the largest and finest in the Holy Land. 

( 5 ) A manger.] The spot on which our Sa- 
viour was born appears to have been a place of 
accommodation attached to the inn, either for 
cattle to stand in, or for the poorer sort of lodgers. 
From the nature of the country it may have been 
(as some suppose) a cave. Justin Martyr, born 
himself in that country, and living sufficiently 
near the time to know the fact, informs us that 
the inn, with this its place of accommodation, was 
then standing, and that it was situated in the 
suburbs without the town. 



LEGAL GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST. 



17 



begat Obed of Ruth ; and Obed begat Jesse ; and Jesse 
begat David the King. 

And David the King begat Solomon of her that had 
been the wife of Urias {Uriah the Hittite) ; and Solomon 
begat Roboam (Rehoboam) ; and Roboam begat Abia 
(Abijah) ; and Abia begat Asa ; and Asa begat Josaphat 
(Jehoshaphat) ; and Josaphat begat Joram {Jehoram) ; and 
Joram begat Ozias (UZjZiah) ; and Ozias begat Joatham 
(Jotham) ; and Joatham begat Achaz (Ahaz) ; and Achaz 
begat Ezekias (Hezekiah) ; and Ezekias begat Manasses 
(Manasseh) ; and Manasses begat Amon ; and Amon begat 
Josias (Josiah) ; and Josias begat Jechonias or Jehoiachin 
and his brethren about the time they were carried away 

Captive tO Babvbn. d d And Nebuchadnez- 

* . .. _ , zar, King of Babylon, 

And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias carried away ail Jerusa, 
begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel (Zerub- iautet^CnS 
babel), the restorer of their Commonwealth; and Zorobabel valour > even ten thousand 

. # . . captives: — none remained 

begat Abiud; and Abmd begat Ehakim ; and Eliakim save the poorest sort of the 
begat Azor; and Azor begat Sadoc (Zadok) ; and Sadoc Sgs x^v.^il 
begat Achim ; and Achim begat Eliud ; and Eliud begat 
Eleazar j and Eleazar begat Matthan ; and Matthan begat 
Jacob ; and Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, — 
of whom was born JESUS, (1 > who is called, and is, 
the Christ. 

So all the generations from Abraham to David are 
fourteen generations ; and from David until the carrying 
away into Babylon are fourteen generations ; and from the 
carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen 
generations/ 2 ) 

(From Mary the Mother of Jesus up to Adam.) 

Luke iii. 23—38. 

JESUS, — being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, 
which was the son in law of Heli ; (3) which was the son of 



(') Of whom ivas born Jesus.} In this instance 
alone St. Matthew avoids using the term "begat" 
which is invariably employed before. St. Luke 
also, it will be seen, takes care to insert a quali- 
fying clause, when giving the lineage of Mary. 

(f) Fourteen generations.} It was a practice 
of the Jews to equalize similar things; and it 
appears to arise from the wish of St. Matthew to ar- 
range the genealogy in divisions of fourteen gene- 
rations each, that he has omissions (as between 
Jehoram and Uzziah, and of Jehoiakim after 
Josiah) ; contenting himself only with those des- 
cents which are most distinguished, or more 
requisite to notice. The first and third divisions 
consist of private persons ; the intermediate one 
of Sovereigns. — There is no doubt that both this 
Evangelist and St. Luke copied from the Public 
Records which were then kept. For'the complete 
correctness of those documents they are clearly 
not responsible, and their only object was to shew 



that Jesus of Nazareth was descended* from 
Abraham and through David. Between their re- 
lative statements no discrepancies were ever urged 
by the early enemies of Christianity, bitter and 
persevering though they were. 

( 3 ) The son of Heli.'] The father of Mary 
having no son, her husband is here reckoned to 
him, for it was not the Jewish custom to trace 
pedigrees through a female. Among the Greeks 
and Romans, however, it was customary so to 
do, and St. Luke, writing chiefly for Gentiles, 
adopts it; likewise their custom of ascending 
from the person whose lineage is given up to the 
founder of his race. — Since Jesus was only as it 
were the step-son of Joseph, or son of his be- 
trothed bride, it was very important to show that 
Mary was also descended from David : equally so 
to show to the Gentiles that the common Saviour 
of all men was "the Seed of the woman" pro- 
mised to our first parents. 

c 



L8 



LEGAL GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST. 



Matthat ; which was the son of Levi ; which was the son 
of Melchi; which was the son of Janna; which was the 
son of Joseph; which was the son of Mattathias; which 
was the son of Amos ; which was the son of Naum 
(Nahum) ; which was the son of Esli (Eli) ; which was the 
son of Nagge (Naggia) ; which was the son of Maath ; 
which was the son of Mattathias ; which was the son of 
Semei (Shimei) ; which was the son of Joseph ; which was 
the son of Juda; which was the son of Joanna; which 
was the son of Rhesa; which was the son of Zorobabel 
(Zerubbabel) ; which was the son of Salathiel ; which was 
the son of Neri ; which was the son of Melchi ; which was 
the son of Addi ; which was the son of Cosam ; which was 
the son of Elmodam ; which was the son of Er ; which 
was the son of Jose (loses) ; which was the son of Eliezer ; 
which was the son of Jorim ; which was the son of Mat- 
that; which was the son of Levi; which was the son of 
Simeon ; which was the son of Juda ; which was the son 
of Joseph ; which was the son of Jonan ; which was the 
son of Eliakim; which was the son of Melea; which was 
the son of Menan (Mainon) ; which was the son of Mat- 
tatha (Mattathias) ; which was the son of Nathan; which 
was the son of David— 

Which was the son of Jesse; which was the son of 
Obed ; which was the son of Booz (Boaz) ; which was the 
son of Salmon ; which was the son of Naasson ; which was 
the son of Aminadab ; which was the son of Aram ; which 
was the son of Esrom ; which was the son of Phares ; 
which was the son of Juda ; which was the son of Jacob ; 
which was the son of Isaac ; which was the son of Abra- 
ham — 

Which was the son of Thara (Terah) ; which was the 
son of Nachor (Nahor) ; which was the son of Saruch 
(Serug) ; which was the son of Ragau ; which was the son 
of Phalec (Peleg) ; which was the son of Heber; which 
was the son of Sala ; which was the son of Cainan ; which 
was the son of Arphaxad; which was the son of Sem 
(Shem) ; which was the son of Noe (Noah) ; which was 
the son of Lamech ; which was the son of Mathusala 
(Methusaleh) ; which was the son of Enoch ; which was 
the son of Jared ; which was the son of Maleleel (Mafia- 
laleel) ; which was the son of Cainan ; which was the son 
created man^L^he hit of Enos ; which was the son of Seth ; which was the son 

uese of God^adeHehim. Q f Adam . wmcn was the SOn of GOD. e 



19 



SECTION X. 

The infant Saviour is announced to Jewish Shepherds, who 

pay Him homage. 

Luke ii. 8—20. 



AND there were in the same country, near to Bethlehem, 
shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch in 
turns over their nock by night. (1) i\.nd lo, the angel of 
the Lord suddenly came upon {stood by) them; and the 
Glory of the Lord a (the brilliant light of the Shechinah) 
shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And 
the angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold, I bring 
you Good Tidings, — a cause of great joy which shall be 
occasioned to all people. For unto you is born this day 
in Bethlehem, the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ, 
the Lord. b And this shall be a sign unto you by which to 
know Him: ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling- 
clothes (swathed), and lying in a manger. 

And suddenly there was, in company with the angel, a 
multitude of the heavenly host/ 2 ) praising God and saying, 
TJie Good Wiil c toward men shewn in the Incarnation of 
Christ is Glory to God d in the highest heavens, and the 
foundation of Peace e on earth. 

And it came to pass, as soon as the angels were gone 
away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to 
another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see 
this wonderful thing which is come to pass, which the 
Lord hath so graciously made known unto us. And they 
came thither with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and 
the Babe lying in a manger as the angel had described 
Him to them,. And when they had seen it, and had paid 



a The priests could not 
stand to minister because 
of the cloud; for the Glory 
of the Lord had filled the 
House of the Lord. 1 
Kings viii. 11. 



b Every tongue should 
confess that Jesus Chiist 
is Lord, to the glory of 
God the Father. Phil. iL 
11. 

c God so loved the 
w orld, that He gave His 
only begotten Son. John 
iii. 16. 

In this was manifested 
the love of God towards 
us, because that God sent 
His only begotten Son into 
the world. 1 John iv. 9. 

d Unto Him be glory in 
the Church by Chiist 
J esus throughout all ages, 
world w ithout end. Amea. 
Eph. iii. 21. 

e His name shall be the 
Prince of Peace. Isa. is. 
6. 

We have Peace vith 
God through our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Rom. v. 1. 



Q) Keeping watch over their flock by night. ~\ 
Bethlehem lay on the confines of the Desert of 
Judea, and, when the season permitted, and 
pasture was to be found, flocks were fed there 
in great numbers (see 1 Sam. xvii. 28). This 
circumstance of sheep being out at night would 
render the winter season an unlikely period of 
the year for our Lord's birth. Also the taking of 
the Census would then be inconvenient, and the 
close of the year has not been usually selected for 
such a purpose. The most correct supposition 
at which learned men have been able to arrive 
is, that the event took place about the vernal 
equinox, which was it appears the season when 
Moses, the greatest prototype of Christ in the 
Old Testament, was born. As a more exact date 
of our Lord's birth, the 1 Oth or the 1 1th of the Jew- 
ish spring month of Nisan has been conjectured, 
answering to the 5th or 6th of April, in the 4709th 
year of the Julian period. Although the precise 
date of the Saviour's birth has not been positively 



ascertained, the whole Christian world have pro- 
perly agreed to commemorate it on the same day, 
and from very early times that commemorative 
day has been the 25th of December. 

( 2 ) A multitude of the heavenly host] The 
doctrine of the ministry of Angels has ever been 
held in the Church; and it cannot but be a con- 
solatory reflection to the believer, that Angelie 
beings are around us, watching over us for 
good, and fulfilling the wisdom of Divine Provi- 
dence. Angels are mentioned as early as at the 
Creation (Gen. iii. 24): they were repeatedly 
manifested during the patriarchal and the pro- 
phetic ages: and here, when, after an interval, 
God again visits His people, they are employed 
to usher in the New Covenant. — These Angelic 
beings are to be once more visible in their thou- 
sands of thousands, when the whole assembled 
Universe shall be summoned before the Judg- 
ment Seat of Christ. 

C 2 



20 



THE INFANT SAVIOUR ANNOUNCED TO JEWISH SHEPHERDS. 



■ ■ 
■ 



religious homage to the infant Saviour, they made known 
abroad (they published throughout the entire neighbourhood) 
the saying which was told them by the angel concerning 
this Child. And all they that heard it greatly wondered 
at those things which were told them by the shepherds: 
but Mary kept in mind all these things which were said 
and done respecting her Child, — -for they were more to her 
than subjects of passing astonishment; and she pondered 
{anxiously revolved) them in her heart. 

And the shepherds returned to their occupation, glori- 
fying and praising God for all the things that they had 
heard and seen, exactly as it was told unto them by the 
angel. 



SECTION XI 



The Child 

Simeon 



: 

IS CIRCUMCISED, AND NAMED JeSUS. TflE SONG OF 

upon His Presentation in the Temple, and the 
testimony of anna the prophetess concerning hlm as the 
expected Redeemer. 

Matt. 1. 25. Luke ii. 21—39. 

. 

. a A ND when the eight days required by the Law were 
JLJl accomplished for the circumcising of the Child, a(I) 
of^e^circumct r ^ e was performed that He might be duly initiated 
into the Church; and His name was called JESUS, which 
b if a woman have bom wa s so named (which was the name given) of the Angel 



man child shall he cir 
cumcised. Lev. xii. 3. 



nister 

sion. Rom. xv. 8, 



And when the forty days of her [of their, Gr.) Puri- 



a man child, she shall be . . TT , . . . 

unclean seven days . . . before He was conceived in the womb. 

. . . and she shall then 
continue in the blood of 

her purifying three and f} cation b (2 ) according to the Law of Moses were accom- 

thirty days. Lev. xii. 2, , TT - t i 

4. phshed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him in 

e The Lord shall sud- the Temple to the Lord, c — as it is written in the Law of the 

pHevenXMeSenJiTf L ° rd > EvERY MALE^ THAT OPENETH THE WOMB SHALL 

the Covenant. MaLiii. 1. BE CALLED HOLY (consecrated) TO THE LORD (see Exod. 



( : ) The circumcising of the Child.] Thus did 
our Lord submit even to this painful and hum- 
bling rite; and His title to be the Deliverer of 
man was significantly written in His own blood 
only a few days after He was born into the 
world. The Law required a perfect obedience, 
and Jesus came to fulfil it in all things, before 
He abolished any part of it. — Compliance with 
this particular rite was also needful, in order to 
obtain a hearing for the Saviour among His 
scrupulous countrymen, who looked upon every 
uncircumcised person as unclean. 

Our Lord's obedience in this respect plainly 
suggests to us the propriety, and (when duly 
received) the efficacy of visible rites and Sacra- 
ments : indeed, it may be truly added, — for ex- 
perience has lamentably shown it, — that the 
attempt to divest Religion of outward circum- 
stance, and to spiritualize it to the extreme, 
must end in its gradual enfeebling, and final 
decay. -Circumcision among the Jews was in- 



tended to be emblematical of something far 
more important; and we are to remember that 
what this rite was to them, the Sacrament of 
Holy Baptism is to Christians. " In Christ Jesus 
Circumcision availeth nothing, but a new crea- 
ture' 1 '' (see Gal. vi. 15). Both were of Divine 
appointment, and were significative of incorpora- 
tion into the Church of God; both required 
faith, and represented purification from the 
defilements of sin. 

if) Of her (their) Purification.'] Both the 
mother and child were looked upon for a time 
after the birth as ceremonially unclean, which 
the Greek text (according to the greatest number 
of Versions) here specifies. — After the birth of a 
female child the mother was required to remain 
at home eighty days (Lev. xii. 5), during which 
she was not permitted to frequent the Temple or 
mix with the congregation. 

( 3 ) Every male, <§c] Great were the privi- 
leges annexed from the beginning to the first- 



THE SONG OF SIMEON. 



21 



xiii. 2), — and to redeem Him by payment of the five shekels ; d d The first-bom of man 

,,7 . • a re -r 7 7 ± shalt thou surely redeem 

and also at the same time to oner a sacrifice suitable to for nve shekels. Numb 
their circumstances, according to that which is said and ^f 1 ^ 16 ^ not able to 
prescribed in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtle- bring a iamb, then she 

... /T . . . shall bring two turtles, 

DOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS e( ' {Lev. Xll. 8.) or two young pigeons. 

And behold there was then living in Jerusalem a man Le f v 'The Lord has com- 
whose name was Simeon: and the same man was just forted His people.- He 

.. i a 1 hath redeemed Jerusalem. 

bejore men and devout towards God; waiting for the Ad- isa.ih\ 9. 

vent of Him who should prove the Consolation of Israel ; f ingintojo™^ 

and the Divine Influence of the Holy Ghost was upon him. fort them. Jer. xxxi. 13. 

J J » ^ Thus saith the Lord of 

And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost (5) that Hosts, The Lord shall yet 
he should not see death before he had Seen the Lord's g ^nd Israel said Now 
Christ (the Great Anointed of Jehovah).— •And he came by let m l d f - sinc £ I h f e 

v J t j geen thy face. Gen. xlvi. 

direction of the Holy Spirit into the Temple: and when 30. 

the parents brought in the Child Jesus to do for Him 0 ffere?and the tune of my 

after the custom of the Law, then took he Him up in his S^ e 6 | s at handl 2 

arms, and blessed (praised) God, and said ;- — h He hath remembered 

„ T , 7 ,7. 7. • 7 , mi -1 nm His mercy and truth to- 

" Lord, nOW by thlS gloriOUS Sight 1 hOU lettest 1 hy ward the house of Israel . 

"servant depart this life in peace,? according to the pro- fiftHftgfeSS 
ee mise of Thy word: for mine eyes have at length seen our God. Ps. xcviii. 3. 

cc n/r ' z mi o • • i mi i — Mv Servant, to raise 

Messiah, Ihy Salvation, which Thou hast graciously up the tribes of Jaeob,and 
"prepared before the face of {hast provided for) all peo- LSf i^fXrivt 
"pie: ordaining Him to be a Lis:ht to lighten even the Thee for a Light to "the 

-f * 0 & Gentiles, that Thou may- 

ignorant Gentiles, and to be the peculiar glory of Thy est be My Salvation unto 
" people Israel." 11 

And Joseph and His mother marvelled at those things 
which were spoken of Him by this venerable Saint. And offence to both the houses 
Simeon blessed them both,and said unto Mary His mother: We preach Christ cru- 
Behold this Holy Child is set as an occasion for the fall f^ing*! ££im 
through unbelief — and for the rising again (the rising up) the Greeks foolishness; 

,7 7 j, .,7 e • T i • i f • i • i i ii butunto them which are 

through J ait h, — of many m Israel; 1 and for a sign which shall called, both Jews and 
be spoken against ; k for at Him, as a conspicuous mark, many o^S^thl^^Sof 
a shaft of calumny shall be directed ; yea, a sword of bitter G ° d - 1 . c , or - 23 i 24 - 

. n • J 7 * k Consider Him that en- 

ajjiiction, reflecting from Him upon thee, shall pierce dured such contradiction 
through thy own soul also i 1 and all this shall come to pass ueb^ii. s gamst Hunself - 
that the thoughts of many hearts {the true characters of Cr o J^i* His m^er 
may be revealed. John xix. 25. 



the end of the earth. Isa. 
xlix. 6. 

» He shall he for a stone 
of stumbling and a rock of 



born. Theirs was the pre-eminence in power 
and wealth ; and, previous to the appointment of 
the sons of Levi to the service of the Altar, theirs 
was the priesthood also. After that event, they 
continued, as before, heirs of a double honour 
and inheritance ; they were still offered in form 
to God, though redeemed at a certain price from 
actual attendance on the Sanctuary. 

( 4 ) A pair of turtle-doves, fyc] By this 
humble offering Mary proved her "low estate." 
Those who could afford more costly offerings were 
expected to bring a lamb for a burnt-offering, 
and a pigeon (or turtle-dove) for a sin-offering 
(Lev. xii. 6).— The five shekels (amounting to 
about 1 1 s. 6d. of our money) for redemption of 
the first-born were required from all without 



respect to the condition of the family, a fit me- 
morial of that equality which nature has esta- 
blished between all men upon coming into the 
world. 

( 5 ) It was revealed unto him by the Holy 
Ghost. ] The office of Revelation, here and 
generally assigned to the Holy Spirit, is seen 
from St. Paul's writings to be common also to the 
Father and to the Sou, thus illustrating the truth 
of the Trinity: — " God shall reveal even this unto 
you" (Phil. iii. 15) . . . "I was taught it by the 
Revelation of Jesus Christ" (Gal. i. 12). — Simeon 
plainly addressed the Holy Spirit as the Lord 
who had spoken to Him, and whose Salvation he 
had lived to see. 



22 



THE TESTIMONY OF ANNA THE PROPHETESS. 



And there was then at Jerusalem one Anna, a prophetess 
to whom revelations of the Divine will had been also made, 
the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser : she was 
of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven 
years only from the time o/her virginity; and she was now 
a widow of about fourscore and four years of age-, which 
departed not from her attendance on the services of the 
m She that is a widow Temple night and day., m ^ but served God with public fast- 

mdeed and desolate, trust- • j 77 • • # a i i 

eth in God, and continued m g s and prayers, as well as in private.— And she, coming 
in supplications and pray- [ n that instant, while Simeon was speaking, gave thanks 

ers mght and dav. 1 Inn. x u J ° 

v. 5. likewise unto the Lord for His unspeakable gift of the Holy 

■ Joseph of Arimathea, Child: and to all them in Jerusalem that looked at this 

SSSot S oS dt MS memorable time for Redemption, « W she spake of Him ( > 

43 - as the Person by whom it should be accomplished. 
• We trusted it had been And when they had performed all things according to 

redeemed Israel! Liike the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their 

mv * 21 • own city Nazareth. 



SECTION XII. 

The Eastern Magi seek the new-born King: Herod's conduct 
on the occasion. Matt. ii. 1 — 12. 



N' 



"OW when Jesus was born (after the birth of Jesus) in 
Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the King, 
» The wisdom of the behold, ivhen Joseph and Mary next visited that city, there 

children of the East coun- , TT . s.n tw r . t-, .' , , 7 7 . 

try. i Kings iv. 30. came Wise Men 1 > irom the JLast a [astronomers ana dis- 



( 6 ) Night and day. ] This may simply allude to 
the morning and evening service ; but anthems 
were occasionally sung by the priests during the 
night-watches (see Ps. cxxxiv. 1), which Anna 
might attend. The Apostles are in like manner 
described as being "continually in the Temple/' 
— that is, regularly attending its public services 
(see Luke xxiv. 53 ; Acts i. 13, 14). 

(') That looked for Redemption.'] Many of the 
Jews, and some of the Eastern Gentiles in con- 
sequence, were at this time looking for the 
"Desire of all Nations,'''' as the prophet Haggai 
calls the Messiah. In the vision to the prophet 
Daniel, the Angel Gabriel had determinately fixed 
the period of His arrival (Dan. ix. 26, 27) ; and j 
now too, after an interval of four centuries, Pro- | 
phecy had begun again to dawn. — Josephus and | 
Philo both speak of the general expectation of 
One who was to be "an Universal Sovereign." 
Nor are heathen testimonies wanting: — Suetonius 
(in his life of Vespasian, c. iv.) mentions that "it 
was an ancient and constant opinion throughout 
the East that sovereignty should belong to One 
coming out of Judea." Tacitus (Hist. lib. v.) says 
that "many were persuaded that it was recorded 
in the ancient writings of the priests, that the 
East should prevail^ — a very remarkable ex- 
pression, which appears to have been taken from 
the Prophets. Virgil, too, in almost the same 
terms as those used by Isaiah, describes the 
happy reign of a New Progeny from Heaven, — 
applying, however, this prediction (from the j 



Oracle of the Sibyl) to a child in whose fortunes 
the Consul of the day was nearly interested. 

(') Wise Men.] These sages would be ac- 
quainted with the prophecy of Daniel, who had 
lived among them, and who had foretold this as 
the particular period of the Saviour's coming. 
Also Balaam was a countryman of their own, 
and the unusual Light which they saw would 
remind them of the "*Sfor" that was to "rise out 
of Israel." This effulgence was clearly not what 
we call a star (as it descended low enough to in- 
dicate a particular house), but was probably the 
Shechinah which appeared to the Jewish shep- 
herds, and which may have been simultaneously 
seen by the Magi at a distance. These pilgrims 
were, it is thought, royal persons, for such be- 
longed to the distinguished Society of the Magi : 
but what is quite certain is, that they were hea- 
thens, the first-fruits of us Gentiles. Unto 
Christ was the gathering of all people to be ; and 
in the humble place of His nativity, He is ac- 
knowledged as a King, by a chosen few, first of 
Jews, and now of Gentiles. — It would appear 
that a year at the least must have elapsed between 
this visit and the Birth of Christ. That Joseph 
and Mary should, on their next annual visit to 
Jerusalem (Luke ii. 41), proceed again to Beth- 
lehem is only what we might have expected. 
There they had kindred, and they might deem it 
most proper to educate the infant Jesus in the 
place of His. nativity. 



THE EASTERN MAGI SEEK THE NEW-BORN KING. 



23 



tinguished men of science from Persia or Arabia) to Jeru- 
salem, saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? 
for we have long expected this illustrious Prince and have 
seen a new and Glorious Light, ivhich must surely be His b Th ere shall come a 

0 . k 7 -7 • ,i -n , # i Star out of Jacob, and a 

otar, D while ive were in the Jkast country, and are come Sceptre shall rise out of 
to worship and do Him homage* Israel - Numb - xxiv - 17 ■ 

When Herod the King had heard all these remarkable co ^ e ^Thy'St "is" 
things, he was troubled {much agitated), and so was all lx - 3 - 
Jerusalem with him : for being himself an Idumean, he was 
alarmed at the birth of any rightful heir to the throne; 
while the people in general dreaded, the consequences of the 
King's tyrannical disposition; and some of them imagined that 
the reign of the Messiah ivould commence with a train of 
calamitous events. — And when he had gathered together 
in Council all the chief priests and scribes (2) of the 
people, — whose special duty it was to search and explain 
the Scriptures, — he demanded of them d where, accord- a The priest's hps should 
ing to their Prophecies, the Christ should be born ? And ST^^' 
they said unto him, He must be born in Bethlehem of nis mouth. Mai. ii. 7. 
Judea; for thus it is written by the Prophet Micah: 
And thou Bethlehem in the land of Juda art 
not to be reputed the least among the princes of 

JuDA; (a) FOR OUT OF THEE SHALL COME A GOVERNOR 

that shall rule {shall feed, Gr.) My People Israel. 
(See Mic. v. 2.) 

Then Herod, when he had privily called the Wise 
Men, inquired of them diligently (with exactness) what 
time the Star first appeared, that he might form some 



( 2 ) All the chief priests and scribes.'] These 
priests were the heads of the twenty-four courses 
into which David had divided the Sacerdotal 
families. — The Scribes were originally transcribers 
of the Law, but in process of time they explained 
it also to the people. 

( 3 ) Thou Bethlehem art not the least, ^c] 
Although the sense, or main points, (viz., the 
birth-place of Christ, and the real greatness or 
dignity of the small town of Bethlehem), are pre- 
served in the citation of this prophecy, a verbal 
difference appears between the actual wording of 
the original, and what is here cited by the Evan- 
gelist as the reply of the Council. The clause 
in the Prophet might be read with an interroga- 
tion ("Art thou little among the thousands of 
Judah ?"), which is equivalent to a negation: 
while the reading occurring in the Evangelist 
was a mode of expression by no means un- 
common; for similarly we find a Roman writer 
describing a man of remarkable wisdom, Homo 
minime stultus. St. Matthew substitutes the 
word "thousands" for "princes," which the 
Prophet uses; but this is a plain and simple 
allusion to the Israelitish custom of dividing their 
tribes into thousands^ over which princes or 
Chiliarchs presided. 

Variations from the text of the Old Testa- 
ment, similar in kind to this, repeatedly occur 



in the New ; the reason of which may be gene- 
rally explained here. The Evangelists appear 
to have quoted chiefly from the Septuagint (a 
Greek version of great general fidelity), rather 
than to have translated the Hebrew for them- 
selves; and they would naturally do this, be- 
cause such a course would be more conciliatory, 
and more convincing to the Hellenist Jews, who 
did not understand Hebrew and were already 
accustomed to the Septuagint. — In case of any 
quotation in the Gospels differing also from that 
version, we must remember that we possess only 
two manuscripts of it admitted to carry real au- 
thority; and upon the discovery of the Alex- 
andrian, differences were considerably diminished. 
Neither could the Evangelists be expected to 
confine themselves servilely to the Greek ver- 
sion; for some of the books are translated into 
Greek with less accuracy than others, and in 
that case they would occasionally alter words. 
— It is not necessary, in quoting a passage, to 
adhere strictly to the words, if the sense be 
faithfully preserved, for it is that which is truly 
Scripture. It appears that the Jews in general 
were not particular in quoting the exact words 
of their Scriptures; a remarkable instance of 
which occurs at Mark xii. 19, where, not having 
chapter and verse to refer to as we have, they 
quote merely by subject. 



24 



HEROD'S CONDUCT ON THE OCCASION. 



conjecture as to the age of the Child. And, having heard 
their statement, he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go 
and search diligently for the young Child, and when ye 
have found Him, bring me word again, that I also, in obe- 
dience to the will of Heaven, if such it be, may come and 
worship Him. 

When they had heard the commands ofth.Q King, they 
departed on their journey. And lo, the Star, which they 
saw when in the East, went before them till it came and 
stood over the spot where the young Child was. When they 
saw the Star so distinctly pointing out the spot of which they 
were in search they rejoiced with exceeding great joy — And 
when they were come into the house, they saw the young 
Child with Mary His mother; and immediately they fell 
down and worshipped Him; for they stumbled not in their 
faith notwithstanding the mean condition in which they found 
ShebacLfto Jerusalem the infant Saviour. And when they had opened their 
witii a very great train, treasures (their stores), they presented unto Him, as it was 

with camels that bare v ' 3 J r ? 

spices and very much gold, customary to do to princes, the choicest gifts e of their 
1 Thekbigs of Tarshish country ; namely, gold of the finest quality, and an odori- 
pTe d s^nte h • eI £ S k^ b s ^m o1• f erous substance called frankincense, and myrrh (4 J used for 
sheba and Seba shall offer embalming the dead. 
Ail they from^Sheba And after the Wise Men had paid their homage, being 

fring S'anf tc^e; ****** ° f G ° cl in a dream that the Y sWd n0t retUm t0 

and they shall shew forth Herod, they departed into their own country another and 

the praises of the Lord. . 

isa. lx. 6. more private way. 



SECTION XIII. 
The Flight into Egypt, and Return to Galilee. 
Matt. ii. 13—22. 



AND when they (the Wise Men) were departed, behold, 
the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a 
dream, saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His 
mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou (continue) there 
until I bring thee word that thou mayest safely return 
hither ; for Herod will seek after the young Child to 
destroy Him. 

When, therefore, he arose from sleep, he at once took 
the young Child and His mother by night, — so as both to 
hasten and conceal his flight, — and departed into Egypt ; 
and he was there until the death of Herod, that it might 



( 4 ) Gold and frankincense and myrrh. ] These 
gifts were products of the country from which, 
they were brought, and this would account for 
the selection of them; but they have also been 
thought by some to have an emblematiok mean- 



ing: "gold" being offered to the Saviour in ac- 
knowledgment of Him as the eternal King; 
" incense," as He was God; and " myrrh," as 
signifying that, although God and King of all, 
He was still to die as man. 



THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 



25 



be fulfilled (so that thus that was made good) which was 
spoken of the Lord by the Prophet Hosea, sayings Out of 
Egypt have I called My Son. (1) (See Hos. xi. 1.) 

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked [de- 
luded) of the Wise Men by their not returning, was 
exceeding wroth, and sent forth his officers, and slew 
all the male children that were in Bethlehem W and in all 
the coasts (in the immediate bounds) thereof, from two 
years old (from those entering the second year), and some- 
what under that age, according to the time of the Star 
appearing, concerning which he had so diligently inquired of 
the Wise Men. — Then was fulfilled (3) (then happened what 
more fully completed) that which was spoken by Jeremy 
the Prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice 

HEARD, LAMENTATION, AND WEEPING, AND GREAT 

mourning — Rachel weeping for her captive chil- 
dren, AND WOULD NOT BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE to 

her they are not. (See Jer, xxxi. 15.) 

But when Herod was dead, — which happened not long 
after from a painful and loathsome disease, — behold an 
angel of the Lord appeareth again in a dream to Joseph, 
as he abode still in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the 
young Child and His mother, and go into the land of 
Israel, for they are dead (4) which sought the young ChikPs 



(!) Out of Egypt have 1 called My Son.] It 
appears from Exod. iv. 22, that Israel, the son 
of God by adoption, was a type of Christ, His 
Son by generation. The low estate of Israel, 
when sojourning in Egypt, foreshowed our Lord's 
dwelling there for a time in poverty and danger ; 
and the calling out of that country was made 
good in the Anti-type, as it had been accom- 
plished in the Type, — but with this remarkable 
difference, that the land which had been a place 
of bondage to the Israelites, became a refuge to 
their new-born King. — Egypt was a Roman pro- 
vince, but it abounded with Jews (see Jer. xliii. 
5, 7). The parents of Jesus would be enabled 
to bear the expense of this journey (one of sixty 
miles at least), and of residence (probably for six 
or seven months) in a foreign land, through the 
oblations of the eastern sages : while the espousals 
of Mary with Joseph were the means of raising 
up for her and the Holy Child a protector in the 
ordinary course of events. — No other occasion 
is recorded of our Lord being out of Palestine. 

( 2 ) Slew all the male children that were in 
Bethlehem.] This event is mentioned by a hea- 
then author, Macrobius (lib, ii. c. 4); and 
another writer, Cedrenus, distinguishes Herod by 
the title of "Child-slayer." The silence of Jo- 
sephus on the subject does not at all lessen the 
credit due to this part of the Sacred Narrative, 
for the Jewish historian wrote ninety-four years 
after the event, compiling many parts of his his- 
tory from the partial account of Herod's minister 
Nicolaus. — We may well believe, however, that 
an historian might omit the slaughter of a few 
infants (estimated as under twenty) in a small 
town, when we call to mind the greater atrocity 



of Herod's other barbarous acts. Josephus states 
that, after murdering his wife's brother at 
eighteen years of age from political jealousy, and 
his wife's grandfather (who had saved his life) at 
the age of eighty, he publicly executed Mariamne 
herself (the second of his nine wives); and her 
mother followed soon after. Only five days 
before his death, and while he lay dangerously 
ill, he killed his son Autipater from political jea- 
lousy, having previously put to death two other 
of his sons: and when approaching his end, 
having caused the chief men of the nation to be 
assembled at Jericho where he lay, and having 
shut them up in the Circus, he entreated his sister 
Salome and her husband to let in the soldiers 
and destroy them all, that so Judea might have 
some cause to mourn at his death. — The event of 
the slaughter of the children is not without pre- 
cedent; for Suetonius relates (August. 94), that 
the Roman Senate made a decree to expose 
all boys born that year, being terrified by a 
Sibylline oracle which had predicted a King to 
the Romans. 

( 3 ) Then was fulfilled, $c] This form is 
sometimes used when the citation is only an 
accommodation, for that may be truly said to be 
fulfilled which admits of being properly applied. 
Such is remarkably the case in the present in- 
stance: — Rama, where the conquered Israelites 
were assembled in chains, was not far from 
Bethlehem, while Rachel's sepulchre adjoined 
the town (Gen. xxxv. 19). Her language beau- 
tifully expresses the anguish of some of her 
descendants, mothers of Bethlehem, now deprived 
so barbarously of their children. 

(*) They are dead.] It is the idiom of the 



26 



THE RETURN TO GALILEE. 



• And the Lord said life. 3 — And so he arose^ and took the young Child and His 

unto Moses, in Midian, , v , • . ±% ■» j r T l 

Go, return into Egypt, for mother, and came into the land ol Israel. 

ail the men are dead g ut w h en ne heard that Archelaus — a prince who in- 

which sought thy hie. t x 

Exod. iv. 19. herited much of his father's cruelty — did reign (5) in Judea 

in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go 
thither and visit Bethlehem again. Notwithstanding he 
did not relinquish the plan of residing in the Holy Land , 
but being warned of God in a dream what he should do, 
he turned aside into the parts of Galilee, of which Anti- 
pas, another son of Herod, of milder disposition than his 
brother, had been appointed Tetrarch. 



SECTION XIV. 

Joseph and Mary settle at Nazareth. They go up thence to 
the Passover at Jerusalem, where Jesus, at twelve years 
of age, questions and replies to the Doctors in the Temple. 

. Matt. ii. 23. Luke ii. 40—52. 

AND he {Joseph) came and dwelt in a city, the same in 
which they abode before, called Nazareth ; that it might 
be fulfilled which was spoken in effect of Jesus, by the 
prophets, He shall be ca'fed a Nazarene. (1) And the Child 
grew, and waxed strong in spirit, being filled, child though 
He was, with an uncommon degree of wisdom ; and the 
Grace of God was upon Him. 

Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year, as 
all pious families were accustomed to do, at the Feast of 
the Passover.^ And when He was twelve years old, — 



Evangelists to use the plural, though speaking of 
the singular person or thing. — A similar expres- 
sion to that in the text occurs at Exod. iv. 19, 
though, as Josephus observes, in that case also 
it was the jealousy of King Pharaoh alone that 
led him to seek the destruction of Mo.ses and of 
the Hebrew children. — Yet the use of the plural 
here might be justified by fact; for the death of 
Antipater, the son of Herod, and heir-apparent 
to the crown, took place only five days before 
that of his father. They had been united in 
the government; and though latterly much at 
variance, — so much so, that Antipater was slain 
by his father's order, — we might expect him to 
concur in the destruction of Jesus. He had 
already aided in procuring the death of his two 
elder brothers, in order to gain the crown. 

( 5 ) That Archelaus did reign.] The expres- 
sion "reign" is appropriately used with reference 
to Archelaus, for his father named him in his 
will as King.— The title was, indeed, at first 
refused him, until he had rendered himself 
worthy of it in the estimation of the Romans: 
accordingly he ordered his soldiers to attack the 
Jews during a tumult, and slaughtered three 
thousand of them, — an event which, confirming 



the previous opinion of his cruel disposition, may 
have probably deterred Joseph from settling in 
Judea. Archelaus also inherited Samaria and 
Idumea. — After reigning ten years, he was ba- 
nished on the petition of his subjects, which event 
is supposed to be alluded to at Luke xix. 14. 

( : ) He shall be called a Nazarene.'] This 
refers, not to any particular prophecy, but to the 
leading characteristic of various prophecies re- 
specting our Lord (as at Isa. liii. 3). The ex- 
pression had become about this period a common 
one for a person much despised ; for in fact the 
wickedness as well as insignificance of Nazareth 
was proverbial. Nathanael, himself a Galilean, 
asks, "Can any good thing come out of Naza- 
rethV (John i. 4fi) ; and the only ground of 
accusation against St. Paul, " as being a pestilent 
fellow," was^ that he was "a ringleader of the 
sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts xxiv. 5). — It is 
said that, in the East, Christians are still called 
" Nazarenes." 

( 2 ) The Feast of the Passover.] This prin- 
cipal Feast of the Jews was celebrated to pre- 
serve among them the memory of their liberation 
from Egyptian servitude. The name was given 



THE PARENTS OF JESUS GO UP WITH HIM TO THE PASSOVER. 



27 



which was the customary age for admitting young persons into 
the congregation, they went up to Jerusalem tvith Him, after 
the custom of the Feast. a (3 ) And when they had fulfilled a Thy males shall a P 

, . . , pear before the Lord thy 

the seven days 0 of its duration, as they returned home, God, in the place where 
the Child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph Jitofmietvened Sead! 
and His mother knew not of it. But they, supposing Deut - xvi - 16 - 
Him to have been in the advanced company of some neigh- b Seven days shall ye 
hours who had travelled tvith them to the Feast, went for- 

Exod. xii. 15. 

ward a day's journey ; and, when they had overtaken the 
party, they sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaint- 
ance. And when they found Him not, they turned back 
again on the second day to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 

And it came to pass that after three days c {on the c We remember that 
third day) they found Him in an apartment of the Temple, three day^V^-iii rise 
sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and Stfte'^^S^S 
modestly asking them questions, — as it was customary for s «i - e until the third day. 
learners to do,— respecting the Law and the Prophets. And 
all that heard Him were astonished at the powers of His 
understanding, and at His answers/ 1 which displayed a d And they were as- 

... 7 , 7.7.7 i± .7 > tonished at His doctrine, 

spiritual energy to which they were altogether strangers. tor He taught them as One 
And when they (His parents) saw Him employed in bribes* 7 ' Ma\-k? 
this manner, they were amazed; and His mother said unto 22. 
Him, Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us ? behold, thy gracious words which pro- 
father and I have sought Thee, sorrowing,— fearful lest ZtL^^t 

some calamity had befallen Thee. And He said unto Joseph's son? Luke iv. 

22 

them, How is it that ye sought Me ? wist ye not that I The officers answered, 
must needs be about My Father's business W (at the House M^™ln^* 
of My Heavenly Father) ? And they understood not per- 
fectly the saying which He spake unto them. 

And He went down from Jerusalem with them, and 
came to Nazareth, and was subject as a dutiful Son unto 
them. (5 ) But His mother kept all these sayings and re- 



because the Lord passed over the houses of the 
Israelites without slaying their first-born, while 
those of the Egyptians were cut off. — For fur- 
ther particulars of this Feast, see Sections CX V., 
Note 1; CXVI., Note 1. 

( 3 ) According to the custom of the Feast.] At 
this and two other Feasts, which were held only at 
Jerusalem, all the males, including the "men-chil- 
dren," were expected to appear (Exod. xxiii. 17; 
xxxiv. 23). It appears to have been customary 
on this principal occasion to admit young per- 
sons, of the present age of Jesus, into commu- 
nion with the Church, by some ceremony cor- 
responding to Confirmation in our own. We 
find the sons of Eli, and all the family of 
Elkanah, in attendance with them at Shiloli at 
a particular time of sacrifice and public wor- 
ship (1 Sam. i. 3, 21). 

(*) About my Father's business.'] The original 
is an elliptical expression ; but the word " business" 
(or affairs') cannot be so properly substituted as 
" House," an explanation of our Lord's meaning 
which has been received from the time of 
Origen. Josephus (contra Ap.) uses the very 



same Greek expression in allusion to the Temple. 
It is further observable that the words of Mary, 
to which our Lord here replies, refer not to 
occupation, but to place. 

(■') And was subject unto them.] These 
words contain the only direct information of 
our Saviour's early domestic life, and probably 
they are recorded only because they afford 
a valuable example of Obedience to parents. 
That commandment had been made the first of 
the Second Table, from which the others were to 
spring — it was the first material of social hap- 
piness with which God was to bless His people. 
— More particular information as to our Lord's 
early life was clearly not expedient for us, since 
it has been withheld; and it was the main object 
of the Evangelists to give an account of His 
public ministry. It is but indirectly we learn 
that He had not what is called " a liberal edu- 
cation" (John vii. 15), — although no doubt in- 
structed, as all Jewish children were, in the 
rudiments of the Law (Deut. vi. 7). — Joseph, 
his reputed father, was a carpenter (Mark vi. 
3); and as every Jew was required to learn. 



28 



JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACHES. 



e And the child grew. ma rkable occurrences in her heart, — piously meditatinq 

and the Lord blessed Hun. > 7 r v 

judg. xiu. 24. thereon, and patiently awaiting the result. And Jesus in- 

And the child Samuel -, j . , . . . , 

grew on, and was in fa- creased more ana more m wisdom and m stature, and was 

vour both with the Lord, ' m f avour with Q d d e 
and also with men. ISam. 
ii. 26. 

SECTION XV. 

John the Baptist preaches and baptizes in the waste country 
or plain of the Jordan. 

Matt. iii. 1—6. Mark i. 1—6. Luke iii. 1—6. 

It HE beginning of the Gospel Dispensation of Jesus 
. Christ, the Son of God, had its rise in the preaching of 
« The Law and the Pro- John the Baptist;*- as it is written in the last Book of the 

phets were until John : t_ j t» t ■» r 

since that time the King- prophets, ±5EHOLD 1 SEND My MESSENGER BEFORE 

SttAW." PreaCh6d " Thy face > which shall prepare Thy way before 
Thee (see Mai. iii. 1), preaching the doctrine of Repentance 
as preparatory to the remission of sins. 

Now in those days, while Jesus continued yet at Naza- 
reth; in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Csesar, 
— two of those years having been passed in conjunction 
with Augustus as a colleague; Pontius Pilate (i) being 
Governor {or Procurator under the Romans) of Judea, 
for Archelaus had been some time banished; and Herod 
Antipas being Tetrarch of Galilee ; (2) and his half-brother 
Philip, Tetrarch of Iturea on the further side of Jordan, 
and also of the neighbouring region of Trachonitis; and 
Lysanias, the Tetrarch of Abilene; Annas and Caiaphas 
being the High-Priests; ( 3 ) the word (the command) of 
God came unto John, afterwards called the Baptist, — 
being the son of Zacharias, and born in the remarkable 
manner before described, — in a thinly-settled and untitled 
part of the country, which lay east of Jerusalem, called the 
wilderness of Judea. — And John did baptize in the wilder- 



some trade, there is little doubt that Jesus was 
engaged in the same occupation ; which pre- 
sents another example to men of honest Industry 
in their respective callings. 

(') Pontius Pilate^ — See Section CXXV., 
Note 1. 

if) Tetrarch of Galilee.] This title was held 
by Antipas (now commonly called Herod) because 
Galilee, which had been left to him with Pereea, 
was about a fourth part of the dominions of his 
father, Herod the Great. The contemporary 
and adjoining Tetrarchies seem to be added in 
here for greater particularity as to the date. 

( 3 ) Annas and Caiaphas being the High- 
Priests.] Caiaphas was the High-Priest during 
the whole administration of Pilate, having been 
appointed by Valerius Gratus, the predecessor of 
this Governor, and deposed as a popular act by 



Vitellius his successor. Annas, his father-in- 
law, had been one of his predecessors in the 
the office, but was also deposed by the Romans. 
It was customary, however, at this period with 
the High-Priests to consult some senior who 
had discharged the office, in the way of a coad- 
jutor; and Annas was now in that position, 
being only named first on account of his senio- 
rity. This accounts for our Lord being taken 
by the Jews, on His apprehension, " to Annas 
first;" but He was immediately sent on to 
Caiaphas (John xviii. 13, 24). It was also 
usual to speak of the high -priests or chief priests 
in the plural number, and the Evangelists only 
retain the ordinary way of speaking. Josephus 
writes, "Then might be seen the high-priests 
themselves, with ashes on their heads, and their 
breasts naked." 



JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACHES. 



29 



ness ; and he came into all the country lying about the river 
Jordan,^ preaching the Baptism of Repentance, as a 
conditional step for procuring the remission of sins; b and b Then said Peter, Re- 
saying, Repent ye [let your hearts become changed), for the on? of y^S^e nS 
long-looked-for Kingdom of Heaven' « is at hand. ^ n 

For this John is he that was spoken of in the Book of 38. 

the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, There is heard = The God of Heaven 

_ T shall set up a Kingdom 

THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, w Mch shall never be des- 

PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD, MAKE HlS ts0 V eA - Dan. ii. 44. 
PATHS STRAIGHT: (6) EVERY VALLEY SHALL BE FILLED^ 
AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL SHALL BE BROUGHT 
LOW, AND THE CROOKED WAYS SHALL BE MADE 

STRAIGHT,^ AND THE ROUGH SHALL BE MADE SMOOTH; d Make straight paths 

c, r> for your feet, lest that 

AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF bOD. which is lame be turned 

(See Isa. xl. 3 —5 .) JJ of wa ?- Heb - xii - 

Then went there out unto him a very great multitude 
from Jerusalem, and from all the land of Judea and all the 
region round about Jordan; and after confessing their 
sins and promising amendment of life, they were all bap- 
tized (7) of him in the river of Jordan. 

And the same John, resembling the prophet Elijah in 
Ms habits of life as well as in spirit and power, had his 



( 4 ) Jordan, ] This famous river is the eastern 
boundary of Palestine. It rises in the north at 
Mount Lebanon, taking thence a southerly di- 
rection under ground for thirteen miles, and then 
bursting forth with a great noise at Cesarea- 
Philippi. From that place it continues its course 
for some miles, passing through a small lake, 
until it falls into the Lake Gennesareth (also 
called the Sea of Tiberias, and the Sea of Galilee). 
Through the middle of this lake it flows undis- 
turbed, and then preserves a southerly direction 
for about seventy miles, when it falls into the 
Dead Sea. — Here, even in modern times, it is 
said to be so considerable a river as to discharge 
several millions of tons of water daily, and its 
current to be generally so rapid, that the most 
expert swimmers cannot oppose it. — See Shaw's 
and Maundrell's Travels. 

( 5 ) The Kingdom of Heaven.} This phrase 
here signifies the Gospel dispensation of the 
Covenant of Grace, or that state of things which 
the Messiah was to set up ; whose spiritual reign, 
commencing in the Church on earth, is to be 
finally completed in heaven. — The expectations 
of- the Jews in general were turned to a temporal 
kingdom, for so they chose to understand their 
prophecies; but these notions are at the outset 
corrected by the Baptist, who prefaces his an- 
nouncement of the approaching Kingdom by a 
spiritual command to repent. 

( 6 ) Prepare ye the way of the Lord, S(c.~\ It 
was anciently the custom to send messengers to 
proclaim the approach of conquerors with their 
armies, and as pioneers to prepare the way for 
them. Thus the Evangelical prophet, describing 
the Return from Babylon, introduces a crier or 
herald as the type of the Baptist. In the vast 



deserts which lay between Babylon and Judea, 
he represents this herald as lifting up his voice, 
and with authority ordering a public road for the 
return of the Jews from Captivity, the Lord being 
their deliverer. — Nothing could be more suitable 
than the entire imagery to the state of the Jews 
when the Baptist appeared: they were full of 
prejudices and self-righteousness, with high and 
naughty thoughts concerning others, and many 
crooked ways of their own; all which had to be 
subdued and levelled before they could be consi- 
dered a people prepared for the Lord. — John is 
characterized by the Prophet as "a Voice," be- 
cause it w T as the express object of his mission to 
proclaim the Messiah; yet, compared with 
Christ, he was but " a voice," the sound of 
which, when it had expressed the thought of 
which it was the sign, died, and was heard no 
more. 

( 7 ) Were all baptized.} Since the return from 
the Babylonish Captivity, the Jews had been 
accustomed to baptize proselytes ; and the Ordi- 
nance was allowed to remain as a significant and 
appropriate entrance into the Christian religion ; 
for as the convert to the Hebrew faith washed 
away his idolatry, so the convert to Christianity 
was to be enabled to purify his corrupt nature. 
Notwithstanding their Church privileges, the 
Jews were equally summoned by the Baptist as 
sinners to come and be washed, — seeking with 
j the Gentiles that a Fountain which should be 
i opened to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin 
' and uncleanness" (Zech. xiii. 1). He taught 
j them, that instead of attempting to justify them- 
I selves, they must now accuse themselves; and 
I that they were by nature the children of wrath 
' even as others. 



30 JOHN THE BAPTIST PREACHES, 

e And he said unto raiment of rough camel's hair, ( 8 ) and a leathern girdle 

them, What manner ot , . , . ,. 7 , 

man Avas he which told about his loms; e and his meat was such as that wita 
Key ^swereT^iim,^ country chanced to afford, namely, locusts and wild 

was an hairy man and girt honCV. 
with a girdle of leather * * 

ahout his loins. And he 
said, It is Elijah the Tish- 
bite. 2 Kings i. 7, 8. 

SECTION XVI. 

John reproves the Pharisees and Sadducees, and instructs the 

people. 

Matt. iii. 7 — 10. Luke iii. 7~ 14. 

BUT when he (John) saw many of the Pharisees and 
Sadducees (1 ) come to his baptism, — -for they were 
unwilling to lose their share in the Messiah's temporal 
Kingdom, — he said unto the multitude of them that came 
» Ye are of your father forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, 3 -- — ye 
your father ye will do. seed of that Old Serpent the Devil, — who hath warned you 
John vm. 44, to ^ ee f rom divine wrath which is to come on a guilty 

world ? How can men of such principles think of present- 
ing themselves for the baptism of Repentance ! Bring forth, 
therefore, first, fruits worthy of Repentance (answerable to 
amendment of life, Marg.) : and think not to say within 



( 8 ) John had his raiment of camel's hair, fyc.~\ 
The dress of John was that of the ancient pro- 
phets (Zech. xiii. 4). This garment was not of 
the fine hair of the camel from which camlet is 
made, but of the rougher portions, from which 
a coarse and cheap cloth is still made for the 
poorer classes in the East. — Locusts were fly- 
ing insects, abundant in Palestine (Joel i. 4), and 
when dried, were eaten as a common sort of food, 
which the Law allowed (Lev. xi. 22). In the 
Travels of Arnulphus, a Bishop of Gaul, who 
visited Palestine in 705, it is mentioned that 
locusts were found in the deserts of Judea with 
short bodies about the thickness of a finger : they 
were easily taken among the grass, and upon 
being cooked in oil, formed a palatable, though 
poor food. Wild honey was also common 
(Exod. iii. 8), and was found in hollow trees and 
in the clefts of rocks (I Sam. xiv. 26). — The 
life of John has, in these and similar respects, 
been imitated by many a well-meaning but mis- 
judging Christian : there was more of simplicity 
than austerity in the Baptist's habits, and while 
in his particular case there were special and 
sufficient reasons for all he did, we never find 
him holding up his conduct in this respect for 
imitation. When asked by his converts what 
they must do to flee from the wrath to come, he 
dwelt not on bodily austerities, but urged the refor- 
mation of the heart, and gave them plain practical 
precepts adapted to their several callings. 

(!) The Pharisees and Sadducees.] These 
were the two chief sects or parties into which the 
greater part of the nation was divided. — The 
Pharisees, which formed the more numerous 



body, took their name from pharass c to separate,' 
because they separated themselves from other 
men by a peculiar strictness and punctilious ob- 
servance of the Ceremonial Law. They believed 
in the immortality of the soul, but had confused 
notions of its pre-existence, of future rewards 
and punishments, and of fate. Their distinguish- 
ing character was zeal for the traditions of the 
elders, to which they made additions as they 
thought fit : they had, at last, overburdened the 
Law with a vast number of trifling observances, 
and even altered and corrupted it in important 
articles by their perverse interpretations (see 
Mark vii. 10 — 12). Though they carefully ob- 
served all the externals of religion, making long 
prayers for a shew in public, and were ostentatious 
in their almsgiving, they were exceedingly lax in 
their interpretation of the moral precepts, and 
many of them secretly immoral in their lives. 
Notwithstanding, they were the favourites of the 
people, and were generally the party holding 
office. Modern Jews are chiefly Pharisees, be- 
lieving in and observing the traditions. 

The Sadducees, who derived their name from 
Sadoc, one of their leaders, were opposed to this 
powerful party; rejecting all observances not 
founded on the text of the Pentateuch, the books 
of which they more particularly revered. They 
rejected the doctrine of fate, and held that there 
is " no Resurrection, — neither angel nor spirit '* 
(see Matt. xxii. 23 ; Acts xxiii. 8). The Sad- 
ducees were worldly-minded men, and were, 
many of them, openly profane. They were few 
in numbers as a party, but still their influence 
was considerable from their wealth and standing 
in society. 



THE BAPTIST REPROVES THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES. 



31 



yourselves, We have holy Abraham to (for) our father^ 
and can scarcely be rejected as his descendants ; for I say 
unto you, that God, who first formed man of the dust of the 
earth, is able of these stones (2) of the Jordan lying before 
your eyes to raise up children unto Abraham. And even 
now also is the arm of God's vengeance suspended over your 
guilty nation; the axe is already laid unto the very root of 
the trees, and the blow when it falls ivill be quick and 
sure: therefore every tree which henceforth bringeth not 
forth good fruit, is to be hewn down c and cast into the 
fire. 

And the common people, moved to repentance by his 
powerful exhortations, asked him, saying, What shall we 
do then d to escape the impending danger and show forth 
fruits of Repentance ? He answereth and saith unto them, 
The ceremonial duties on which you have been accustomed to 
rely are powerless to save you; be careful henceforth to 
observe the great practical duties of life, for God will have 
mercy rather than sacrifice : he, therefore, that hath two 
coats, let him impart the one which he can spare to him 
that hath none ; and he that hath meat, which is not needed 
for the sustenance of his own family, let him do likewise. e 

Then came also certain publicans (3) to be baptized/ 
and said unto him, Master, what shall we do ? And he 
said unto them, Exact no more than that which is ap- 
pointed s by the government for you to receive. — And the 
Jewish soldiers (4) chancing to be on their march through that 
country, likewise demanded of him, saying, And what 
shall we do ? And he said unto them, Collect those fail- 
ings to which men of your calling are so much addicted ; do 
unlawful violence to no man, neither for the purpose of 
extortion accuse any to your superiors falsely, h and be con- 
tent with your wages (your lawful allowances.) 



b They answered and 
said unto Him, Abraham 
is our lather. Jesus said 
unto them, If ye were 
Abraham's children, ye 
would do the works of 
Abraham. John viii. 39. 

c The haughty shall be 
humbled: and He shall 
cut down the thickest of 
the forest with iron. Isa. 
x. 33, 34. 

Behold these three years 
I come seeking fruit on 
this fig-trte, and find none. 
Cut it down ! Why cum- 
bereth it the ground? 
Luke xiii. 7. 

d Now when they heard 
this, they were pricked in 
the heart, and said to 
Peter and the rest of the 
Apostles, Men and breth- 
ren, What shall we do? 
Acts ii. 37. 

< I mean not that other 
men be eased and ye bur- 
thened ; but by an equal- 
ity, that your abundance 
may be a supply for their 
want. 2 Cor. viii. 13,14. 

Whoso hath this world's 
good, and seeth his bro- 
ther have need, and sbut- 
teth up his bowels of com- 
passion from him, how 
dwelleth the love of God 
in him? 1 John iii. 17, 

i The publicans justi- 
fied God, being baptized 
vs ith the baptism of John. 
Luke viL 29. 

S And Zaccheus stood 
and said, If I have taken 
any thing from any man 
by false accusation, I res- 
tore him fourfold. Luke 



h Thou shalt not raise 
a false report; put not 
thine hand with the wick- 
ed to be an iinrighieous 
witness. Exod. xxiii. 1. 



( 2 ) These stones.'] Some have considered 
this to he a metaphorical expression, pointing to 
the fact of the Gentiles becoming also the Israel 
of God : in support of which it appears to have 
been a common figure to compare the heathen to 
stocks and stones, and there might he some Gen- 
tiles among John's hearers. The literal inter- 
pretation, however, seems more natural, and gives 
a degree of beauty to the expression. 

( 3 ) Publicans.] These were the collectors of 
the Roman taxes, which were farmed by Roman 
knights, and then underlet to Jews. Such an 
office, always unpopular, was still more so when 
undertaken for the support of a foreign power. 
''Publican," with the Jews, was nearly syno- 
nymous with extortioner. There were good men 
among them, for Matthew w^as one ; but there is 
good reason to think they had much need of 
repentance. They had strong temptations to 
enrich themselves by exacting more than was 
due, especially in a province so remote as Judea 



was from the seat of government. The office 
was generally filled by persons of indifferent cha- 
racter ; and the low estimation in which they 
were generally held, would be both the cause and 
the effect of dishonesty. Our Lord speaks but 
slightingly of them (Matt. v. 47). 

( 4 ) The soldiers.] The original expression has 
been considered to denote men under arms on 
their way to battle, and some chronologists bold 
that the war of Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, 
with his father-in-law Aretas (a petty king of the 
neighbouring country) had already commenced ; 
which would account for soldiers being on their 
march through the country where the Baptist now 
was (see Joseph. Antiq. xviii. 5). These troops 
would probably be Jewish, if they proceeded 
from Galilee, and John does not urge on them, 
as upon Gentiles, the worship of the true God. 
" Informers," or Delatores so called, were common 
among the soldiery of those times. Military wages 
generally consisted of provisions as well as pay. 



32 



SECTION XVII. 
Jesus comes from Nazareth to be baptized by John. 
Matt. iii. 13—17. Mark i. 9—11. Luke iii. 21—23! 



N' 



OW in those days, when all the people who adhered to 
John's ministry were baptized, it came to pass that 
Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee to be baptized of 
John in Jordan. 

But John, believing , through the Spirit, that He was the 
Messiah, forbad [would have prevented) Him, saying, I, a 
sinner, have need to be baptized with the Holy Ghost of 
Thee, and comest Thou to me to be baptized with water ? 
And Jesus, answering, said unto him, Suffer it to be so 
now [for the present), for thus it becometh us both to 
fulfil all righteousness (to comply with every holy institution 
ordained of God) ; and such compliance will avail to esta- 
blish the authority of My mission, and o f thine own. Then 
he suffered Him to be baptized. 

And Jesus was baptized of John in Jordan; and, 
when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the 
water without the confession of sins which was required of 
others, for He knew no sin : and lo, the heavens were opened 
(the sky was parted asunder) unto Him, as He was silently 
. _ , proving (1) after the administration of this solemn rite ; and 

■ And John bare record, * J ° J . . . 

saying, i saw the Spirit He, together with the Baptist, , a saw the Holy opirit of (jod, 

?i?e C TdOTe,tu™ it^bode descending in a bodily shape so as to be distinctly visible, 

upon Him. John i. 32. — lj]j e (after the manner of) a dove, (2) with fluttering or 

b Behold Mine Elect, hovering motion, — and lighting upon Him. And lo, a 

lithteth m ist y xiirl de " Voice came from God out of heaven, proclaiming Jesus to 

Unto which of the angels be the Messiah, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in 

said Heat any time, Thou _ n i t k r*\ 

art my Son? Heb. i. 5. 1 hee 1 am well pleased. 0 w 



( ! ) The heavens were opened unto Him, pray- 
ing.] Our Lord seems to have begun and ended 
every important event of His life with prayer ; 
as when He chose His Apostles, at His Trans- 
figuration, and during His mysterious Agony in 
the Garden. And here, as upon the two other 
occasions when the Father bore witness to Him, 
the Voice from Heaven is pronounced while He 
was praying or soon after (see Luke ix. 29, 35. 
John xii. 27, 28). 

(f) In bodily shape, like a dove.] On the other 
supposition that this heavenly appearance was in 
the form of a dove, then, as the symbol of purity 
(Matt. x. 16), it would be emblematick of the 
Saviour's innocence ; indeed it would appear that 
the Holy Spirit sometimes assumed a form em- 
blematick of the thing to be represented, for by 
the form of fiery tongues was typified the mira- 
culous powers of language with which the Apos- 
tles were to be endowed (Acts ii. 3)_ — At the 
begining of the material Creation the Spirit is 



similarly represented as brooding, dove-like, over 
the vast abyss of waters. 

( 3 ) Thou art My beloved Son, Qc.~\ Thus at 
the baptism of our Lord there was an exhibition, 
even to the senses, of the Three Persons in the 
Holy Trinity severally engaged : the Voice of the 
Father is heard, the Spirit is seen visibly des- 
cending, while the Son in human form receives 
the sacrament. Again, as each of the three 
coequal Persons in the Godhead sustain their 
important part in the scheme of Redemption, so 
on this occasion we find them acting in accord- 
ance with the beautiful economy of that scheme: 
the Father appoints the Son to be Mediator, the 
Son accepts the appointment, while the Holy 
Spirit qualifies Him for the work. — It should be 
just noticed that the form of the words spoken on 
this occasion varies, according to some versions of 
Matthew, from that recorded by Mark and Luke ; 
but the difference is unimportant, and there are 
good copies of Matthew in which the form is pre- 
cisely the same. 



JESUS IS BAPTIZED BY JOHN. 



33 



And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of 
age W (was approaching the age of thirty) when He com- 
menced His public ministry. 

SECTION XVIII. 



He is led up of the Spirit into the Wilderness, where He fasts 
forty days, and is tempted in a threefold manner by the 
Devil. 

Matt. iv. I— 11. Mark i. 12, 13. Luke iv. 1—13. 



AND Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, a returned 
from Jordan ; and, immediately after His baptism, He 
was led up by the influence and immediate suggestion of 
the Spirit [the Spirit driveth Him, Mark] into the Wil- 
derness, that He might there prepare for His great work 
by secret meditation, and so as afterwards to be tempted 
by evil suggestions of the Devil. b (I) 

And He was there abiding in the Wilderness with the 
wild beasts, 0 which, overawed by His presence, hurt Him 
not ; being forty days invisibly tempted of Satan. And in 
those forty days He did eat nothing, observing the absti- 
nence which Moses d had practised previous to giving the 
Law, and Eliasf when called upon to restore it : and when 
they were ended, and He had miraculously fasted the forty 
days and forty nights, He afterwards hungered. 

And when the Devil, — the Tempter, — came at length 
to Him in visible form, he said unto Him, If Thou be in- 
deed the Son of God, (2) command, as Thou hast the power, 
that these stones be made into loaves of bread to relieve 
Thy present wants. But Jesus answered him, and said, It 
is written (Bent. viii. 3) That Man shall not live by 

BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PRO- 

ceedeth out of the mouth of GoD f ^ (by whatever 
His gracious Providence hath appointed.) 



a God giveth not the 
Spirit by measure unto 
Him. John iii. 34. 

h He was in all points 
tempted like as we are. 
Heb. iv. 15. 

c At famine shalt thou 
laugh, neither shalt thou 
be afraid of the beasts of 
the earth, for they shall 
be at peace with thee. Job 
v. 22, 23. 

My God hath sent His 
Angel and hath shut the 
lions' mouths, that they 
have not hurt me : foras- 
much as before Him in- 
nocency was found in me. 
Dan. vi. 22. 

d And Moses was there 
with the Lord forty days 
and forty nights: he did 
neither eat bread nor 
drink water. And he 
wrote upon the tables the 
words of the covenants, 
the ten commandments. 
Exod. xxxiv. 28. 

e And Elijah went in 
the strength of that meat 
forty days and forty nights 
unto Horeb, the Mount of 
God. 1 Kings xix. 8. 

f Behold the days come, 
saith the Lord God, that I 
will send a famine in the 



( 4 ) About thirty years of age.] Our Lord's age 
is supposed to have wanted two or three months 
of thirty, and this event is placed in the first half 
of the 13th of Tiberius Caesar. — At this period 
of life, when the faculties are considered to be in 
their full vigour, it was usual for the priests to 
commence their ministrations (Numb. iv. 3.) 
Had the Saviour commenced at an earlier age, 
He would have been charged with ignorance and 
presumption: had He waited much longer, it 
would have been asked why He delayed beyond 
the period absolutely necessary the reformation 
of a world so sunk in sin. It might also have been 
insinuated that He was losing the usual interest 
and concern in this world, and, as a consequence, 
took different views of things from the bulk of 
mankind. 

(*) To be tempted of the Devil.] The original 
does not denote this to have been the design of 
Christ's going into the Wilderness, but only 
marks the event. — We find the Evil Spirit, or 



leader of the fallen angels, called in this narrative 
by the three names which characterize him ; "the 
Devil" or Accuser, "Satan" or the Enemy, and 
"the Tempter." — The form in which he appeared 
to our Lord may have been the seductive one of 
an Angel of Light, which we know that he could 
assume (2 Cor. xi. 14). 

( 2 ) If Thou be the Son of God.] It is possible 
that Satan might not yet know Jesus to be the 
Christ: for though he would know from the 
Scriptures that the Messiah was to be born of a 
virgin, he might not look for the mother of the 
Lord in one betrothed and now married. 

( 3 ) Man shall not live by bread alone, Qc.] It 
is remarkable that this same passage was the 
declaration to the Israelites respecting the gra- 
cious appearance of the Most High on their 
behalf, when they were an hungered in the Wilder- 
ness; where too they had sojourned the same 
number of years that our Saviour remained days 
in the Desert. 

D 



.34 



THE TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS. 



land; not a famine of Then the DeviL upon the failure of this temptation, 

bread, nor a thirst of water, 7 . 7 tt- + v ■ 

but ofheai-ing the words of taketh Him up [brought or conducted Him, .Luke J into 
^m^rto'doJhe Jerusalem, the Holy City,<*> and setteth Him (seateth or 
will of Him that sent i n duceth Him to sit) on a certain pinnacle of the Temple 

Me. John iv. 34. ' . 1 t A 

overlooking the vast precipice to the east and south. And 
ffo Tempter saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, 
cast Thyself down from hence ; for it is written, H e 
shall give hls angels charge over thee to keep 
Thee; and in their hands they shall bear Thee 

UP, LEST AT ANY TIME ThOU DASH THY FOOT AGAINST 

A stone (5 > [see Ps. xci. 11, 12). And Jesus answering, 
said unto him, It is again (also) written [It is said, Luke], 
to prevent the abuse of such gracious promises, Thou 

SHALT NOT TEMPT (try) THE LORD THY GOD (Deut. 

vi. 16.) 

f Jesus taketh Peter Again (at another time) the Devil taketh Him upg 
brmjth^t^ (induceth Jesus to accompany him) into an exceeding high 

an high mountain apart. mounta in, & and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the 

Matt. xvu. 1. 7 ° 

, , , world (of Palestine) and the glory of them h in a moment 

h A land which is the 1 . . . , ., . ' ■ TT . . 

glory of ail lands. Ezek. of time. And the Devil saith unto Him with false ana 
xx l5the glorious land, impious boast. All this power, and all these things will I 
Dan - xi - 16 - give Thee, and the glory of them ; for that is delivered 

unto me, and to whomsoever I will, I give it: if therefore 
4 Thou wilt fall down and worship (adGre) me, all shall be 

Thine. Then Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee 
hence behind Me, Satan! for it is written, Thou shalt 
worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt 

Prepare your hearts TH0U reliqiouslll SERVE 1 (see Deut. vi. 13). 
unto the Lord, and serve «/ «/ \ / 

Him only. i Sam. vii. 3. And when the Devil had thus ended all the temptation, (7) 



( 4 ) Jerusalem, the Holy dtp.'] Luke, writing 
for Gentiles, simply gives the name " Jeru- 
salem;" but Matthew, writing to the Jews, adds 
" the Holy City," as their Scriptures termed it 
(Neh. xi. 1 ; Isa. lii. 1 ; Dan. ix. 24), because it 
had the Temple and Worship. — " Jerusalem the 
Holy" was inscribed on their coin. 

( 5 ) Dash thy foot against a stone.] That is, 
"Come to any injury.'''' The expression was pro- 
verbial, both in Greek and Hebrew, to denote 
danger or accident. 

( 6 ) An exceeding high mountain.] There is a 
mountainous region on the skirt of the plain of 
Jericho, the highest point of which is called 
Quarantaria, in allusion to the forty days which 
our Lord is supposed to have passed there. — The 
separate provinces of the Holy Land (often called 
in Scripture "the world") seen from hence, might 
reasonably be termed kingdoms, as their gover- 
nors or tetrarchs were called kings. 

( 7 ) When the Devil had ended all the tempta- 
tion.] The correct order of these Temptations 
is evidently the order of their strength ; and St. 
Luke only has placed them differently, because, 
writing to Gentiles, who were not looking for a 
temporal Messiah, Estimation in the sight of God 
(to which principle the last Temptation, as given 
in that Evangelist, relates) would seem greater 



than Power among men. — The first Tempta- 
tion is an appeal to the Saviour's necessities, 
tempting Him to distrust God's Providence; 
and the danger arose from its plausibility, for 
Satan does not urge Him to create a feast for in- 
dulgence, but only to change a stone into bread, 
that He might not perish from want, — at the same 
time satisfying Himself by proof that He was 
the Son of God. — Being defeated by Scripture, 
the Tempter changes his ground; and by apply- 
ing in a natural sense what was originally spoken 
in a spiritual one, and also by a garbled quota- 
tion of the passage itself, — the words " in all thy 
ways" (or, u in the ways of duty'''') being omitted, 
— he next tempts Jesus to the opposite sin ofpo-e- 
sumption. He urges Him to shew Himself to the 
people suspended in the air, as their long-expected 
Son of man, " coming in the clouds of heaven, 
and suddenly to His Temple." Jesus replied by 
another quotation from Scripture, plainly for- 
bidding all unnecessary appeals to God's provi- 
dential care, when He has already given sufficient 
grounds for trust in Him. — The last recorded 
Temptation was a yet bolder attack. The offer is 
made of empire, addressed, not only to the am- 
bition of one who would be gladly welcomed as a 
temporal Messiah, but to every passion which 
can be gratified by an unlimited possession of the 



THE TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS. 



35 



he departed from Him for a season. 14 — until the time of k This is your hour and 

r ... the power or darkness. 

the Saviour's Passion, when his malicious attempts were Luke xx ii. 5.3. 

once more permitted. — And behold, the angels came talk much^with^ou, for 

unto Jesus, and ministered 1 unto Him, supplying all His coLS! nC johnxiv 30^ 

Wants . 1 Are they not all minis- 

tering spirits? Heb. i. 14. 



SECTION XIX. 

John speaks plainly of the Messiah to the Priests and Levites. 
Matt. iii. 11, 12. Mark i. 7, 8. Luke iii. 15— -18. John i. 19—28. 

AND this is the record (the testimony) of John concern- 
ing Jesus when the Jews of the Sanhedrim sent 
Priests and Levites (1) from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art 
thou? And though the opportunity offered of proclaiming 
himself as the Messiah, he at once confessed and denied 
not the truth, but confessed^ I am not the Christ. And you Elijah 1 the™ prophet 
they asked him, What extraordinary being art thou then? b(?fo f the commg of the 

J , great and dreadful day of 

Art thou Elias a (2) come down from heaven to announce the the Lord. Mai. iv. 5. 



objects of sense. Our Lord rebuked the Evil 
Spirit in the very words that He applied to Peter, 
when that Apostle would have had Him prefer 
worldly grandeur to affliction (Matt. xvi. 23); 
and addressing him by his proper name of Satan 
(or Enemy), commanded him instantly to depart. 

This mysterious conflict, having no human wit- 
ness, must have been revealed at the proper 
season for the edification of the Church ; and 
though we may never be able to fathom the 
depths of so inscrutable a transaction, we can 
perceive, with the light afforded us by St. Paul, 
that it behoved our Lord, in this, as in other 
respects, to be made "like unto His brethren" 
(Heb. ii. 17). As the first Adam, by yielding 
to the first temptation, transmitted a corrupt 
nature to posterity, it was fit that our New Fe- 
deral Head should, before He entered upon His 
office, encounter and triumph over that Tempter 
whose works He came to destroy. There is, 
indeed, a remarkable analogy between the Temp- 
tations of Adam and Jesus, and they are both 
reducible to the same threefold order, as summed 
up by St. John (1 Ep. ii. 16), namely " the lust of 
the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of 
life." With both, the natural appetite for food 
was first appealed to ; then, as our Lord was 
tempted by an ostentatious miracle to claim the 
homage of the assembled crowds, so was Adam 
tempted by fruit which was " pleasant to the 
eye;" and lastly, as our Lord was tempted by 
ambition, so was Adam by the pride of life, to 
desire that which would make him wise. — In 
some circumstances there is as remarkable an 
opposition : It was in a fruitful garden, and in 
the act of eating that Adam fell, but in a barren 
unlderness and by fasting that Jesus triumphed. 
Angels appeared after both Temptations, but it 
was to repel the first Adam, to minister to the 
Second. 

While our gratitude is eminently due for what 
our Lord thus " suffered, being tempted" for 



our sakes, it is important that His great Example 
on this occasion should ever teach us what we 
must do when exposed to the fiery darts of our 
great spiritual Enemy. We see that by Watch- 
fulness and resisting the Devil, he will flee from 
us; while by Prayer and thankfully using the 
petition taught us by our tempted Master, " Lead 
us not into temptation but deliver us from 
Evil," we shall be strengthened from above for 
the conflict. Lastly, the Enemy is to be over- 
come " by the sword of the Spirit, which is the 
Word of God;" and when Scripture is artfully 
used or perverted, it must be met by Scripture 
rightly applied. 

(') Priests and Levites.'] The ordinary priests 
were chosen from the family of Aaron exclusively. 
They served immediately at the altar: among 
their peculiar duties (which were distributed 
by lot on account of their numbers) were those 
of burning the incense, preparing the victims, 
and offering up the sacrifices. — The tribe of 
Levi were also specially devoted (in place of 
the first-born of the other tribes) to the service of 
the Temple. To them was committed the care 
of its revenues, and after David's time they be- 
came the conductors of its music. They were 
subordinate to the Priests, whom they assisted in 
their duties. The Levites entered upon their 
office at the age of five-and-twenty, and continued 
(as did the Priests) in their ministrations till fifty 
(Numb. viii. 24, 25). 

( 2 ) Art thou Elias!} The Jews thought that 
Malachi's prophecy foretold the return of Elijah 
in person from heaven, whither he had been 
translated. This John disclaims, but admits, in 
his subsequent reply, that in spirit and power he 
was that forerunner of the Messiah whom they 
had been taught to expect. Jesus Himself after- 
ward distinctly declares that the predicted com- 
ing of Elias was accomplished in the person of 
the Baptist (Matt. xvii. 10—13). 

D 2 



36 JOHN SPEAKS OF THE MESSIAH. 

great day of the Lord ? And he saith, I am not Elias in 
b i will raise them up a person. They said again, Art thou that Prophet b (3 > who 
brethren ^ke^uf thee' should be raised up like unto Moses ? And he answered, 
and win put My words No. ^hen said th unto nml Who art thou ? Tell us 

m His mouth. Deut. J 3 

xviii. 18. that we may give an answer to them that sent us : what 

sayest thou of thyself ? He said, You shall hear who I am 
in the prophetic words of Scripture : I am the Voice of 
one crying in the Wilderness, Make straight the way of 
the Lord, as said the Prophet Esaias (Isa. xl. 3). 

And they which were thus sent to question John, were 
of the powerful sect of the Pharisees, — ever jealously tena- 
cious respecting their rights and ceremonies: and they 
further asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest 
thou then, — presuming to administer this solemn rite to 
Jews as well as heathen, — if thou be not that expected 
Christ, nor Elias, neither that other prophet ? 

And as the people who stood by were in expectation 
(in suspense, Marg.), and all men mused in their hearts 
c Who shall stand when upon the remarkable character of the Baptist, whether he 

He appeareth? for He is were Christ or not, John answered and preached, 

like refiners fire. Mai. g 7 . 

iii. 2. saying unto them all, I have baptized you only with water 

water^ hut ti ye d shall be unto the exercise of Repentance ; but there standeth {there 
Act? i ? e H ° ly ™ evm now ) ^ ne unobserved among you, whom ye know 
And there appeared unto not i He it is, who, though coming into the world and into 

them cloven tongues like . ■ tj* .1 t 

as of fire, and it sat upon His office alter me, is beyond conception mightier than 1 am, 

Zve all mied whh^the and is deservedly preferred before me; whose shoes I am 

Holy Ghost. Acts ii. no t worthy to bear, ( 4) and the very latchet (the tie) of 

* i will send unto Ba- whose shoes I am notworthy even to stoop down and unloose, 

byion fanners that shall jj e shall effectually baptize you with the Holy Ghost and 

tan her, and shall empty . r J J 

her land. jer. ii. 2. with flre: c(S) whose fan d is in His hand, (6 > and He will 



( 3 ) Art thou that Prophet?] This seems to 
refer to the promise made to Moses; and the 
people, when they witnessed the miracles of 
Jesus, exclaimed that He must be " that Prophet 
that should come into the world " (John vi. 14). 
The only other supposition which deserves the 
consideration of the reader, is, that it referred to 
Jeremiah, who as ( a weeping Prophet ' was a 
striking type of the ' Man of Sorrows.' The 
Jews also seem to have had an expectation of 
this Prophet rising from the dead, for it is said 
(Matt. xvi. 14) that some of them supposed 
Jesus was He. 

( 4 ) Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, &c] 
It was the business of the lowest menials to carry 
about the sandals of their master, and to loosen 
or bind the straps which fastened them, when 
required. Doing this was the appointed form 
and mark of a slave becoming the property of a 
purchaser. The sense therefore is, that John, 
though declared to be inferior to none of the 
human race, was unworthy to perform the most 
menial office to Christ ; who was as much above 
him, as a master is above the lowest of his ser- 
vants. 

( ft ) He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost 
and with fire, ] If there is not an express allusion 



here to the miraculous descent of the Holy Spirit 
in fiery tongues on the day of Pentecost, there is 
nothing unnatural or violent in connecting that 
remarkable influence with fire. It is the quality 
of this powerful element to change, break, and 
melt the thing which it lays hold of; and so the 
influence of the Spirit consumes the dross and 
purifies the corrupt affections of human nature, — 
kindling the flame of divine love in the heart, 
and illuminating the minds of men. It is the 
quality of water to cleanse the surface only, and 
thus is strongly marked the greater efficacy of 
the Saviour's Baptism; which fulfilled the pro- 
mise of God at Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27, while the 
baptism of John is fulfilled in the 25th verse 
immediately preceding. We find St. Paul re- 
baptizing those who had only received John's 
Baptism (Acts xix. 2 — 5). 

( 6 ) Whose fan is in His hand.} The fan was 
a winnowing shovel at that period in use : the 
threshing^oor was an elevated area formed in 
the field after harvest; there the corn in the 
sheaf was trodden by oxen, then winnowed, and 
afterwards gathered into the garner or granary. 
—-By the floor is here denoted the Jewish ua- 
I tion ; by the wheat, the righteous; by the chaff, 
I the wicked; by the fan, the Gospel-doctrine 



JOHN SPEAKS OF THE MESSIAH. 



37 



thoroughly purge {make clear) His floor, e and will gather 
the wheat into His garner, but the chaff He will burn 
up with fire unquenchable/ 

And, saying many other things in his exhortation, he 
preached the Gospel unto the people. — These things were 
done in Bethabara, the ford or ferry beyond {on the 
eastern side of) Jordan, where John usually was baptizing. 



e They know not the 
thoughts of the Lord, nei- 
ther understand they His 
counsel: for He shall 
gather them as the sheaves 
into the floor. Mic. iv. 
12. 



f As the fire devoureth 
the stubble, and the flame 
consumeth the chaff", so 
their root shall be as rot- 
tenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust. Isa. v. 24. — Behold th.3 day cometh that shall burn as an oven ; 
and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble : And the day that cometh shall burn them 
up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. Mai. iv. 1. 



SECTION XX. 

John proclaims Jesus as the Lamb of God: Andrew and other 
of John's Disciples are convinced that Jesus is the 
Messiah. 

John i. 29—51. 

P~pHE next day after his reply to the deputation from the 
-L Sanhedrim, John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and 
saith to those standing by, Behold the Lamb of God^ 1 ) — - * He is brought as a 

, I'l ii n i n it \i Lamb to the slaughter. 

the true Sacrifice which taketn away (bearetn, Marg.) the isa. hii. 7. 

sin of the whole world." This is He of whom I said, 

After me cometh a Man which is preferred before me,- — 1 ^ e *- }• ■ , , 

... 7 77 „ I beheld, and lo, in the 

being incomparably greater and more excellent, — for He midst of the throne and of 
was {He existed) before me. And I knew Him not< 8 > to be tt^Z dSl/SS 
the Messiah until He came to be baptized: but in order l^ mh ^* w ^ g ad beeu 
that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I 

„. _ ,.. ., , . i T i He. is the propitia- 

come as His forerunner baptizing with water. — And John ti on for our sins; and not 

also bare this record, saying, When He deigned to come ;tT ms on 0 f' th^whoie 

unto me for baptism, I saw the Holy Spirit descending from world - 1 John ii. 2. 
heaven like {after the fluttering manner of) a dove, and it 
abode upon Him. And, as I said, I knew Him not to be 
the Christ ; but He that sent me to baptize with water, the 
same Omniscient God said unto me, Upon whom thou 



which separates the one from the other (See Isa. 
xli. 16); by the garner, the heavenly receptacle 
of the good; and by the unquenchable fire, the 
certain and dreadful punishment of the sinner. 

(•) The Lamb of God.~\ A whole volume of 
Type and Prophecy is explained in these short 
words. The remission of sins had always been 
connected with the shedding of blood. The 
Paschal Lamb, slain at the Passover to comme- 
morate the deliverance from Egypt (Exod. xii. 
3, 5), and the lambs which were daily offered in 
the Temple at the morning and evening sacri- 
fice, were alike typical of Christ, the real Victim. 
The sacrificing priest put his hands over the 
head of the victim, and made confession of 
sin over it ; so that the sins committed by the 
person offering were laid thereon, and God 
accepted of its blood instead of that of the con- 
fessing and repenting sinner (Lev. i, 4). 



( 2 ) / knew Mm not.] This does not contra- 
dict Matt. iii. 14. The Baptist (being filled with 
the Holy Ghost from the womb, Luke i. 15) 
might strongly incline to believe that Jesus, — 
whose birth and childhood had been attended 
with events yet mere extraordinary than his own, 
— would be the declared Messiah ; yet he would 
not presume to pronounce so (to say he knew it) 
before the time. When Christ came to him for 
Baptism, he might at once distinguish Him as 
the Person on whom the predicted sign of the 
Descent of the Spirit was to be manifested, desig- 
nating His Office, as that of 'the Baptizer with 
the Holy Ghost.' The sign followed as an addi- 
tional confirmation. — It is quite possible that 
John had not a personal acquaintance with Jesus; 
as the former, with a perpetual obligation to 
Nazaritism, would be likely to remain in the hill 
country of Judea, while Jesus was brought up in, 
privacy with His parents at Nazareth^ 



38 



THE BAPTIST PROCLAIMS JESUS AS THE LAMB OF GOD. 



shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, 
the same is He which baptizeth (is to baptize through His 
« John truly baptized ministers) with the Holy Ghost. 0 And I saw this token, 
L^aptiMd'S JeEfoty an ^ bare record, (I have borne and do now bear witness) 
Ghost. Acts i. 5. t h at ji Q iy Person i s the Son of God. 

Again, the next day after, John stood, as before, at the 
ford of Bethabara, and with him two of his disciples. 
And looking in a marked and stedfast manner upon Jesus, 
as He walked that way, he saith to them, — as he had on 
the previous day said to the people at large, — Behold the 
Lamb of God ! — And the two disciples heard him speak 
these remarkable words ; and leaving their master, who had 
before instructed them that his office was to point out the 
Messiah, they followed after Jesus. 

Then Jesus turned round, and saw them following ; 
and, to encourage them in their enquiry after the Truth, 
saith unto them, What seek ye ? They said unto Him,— 
addressing Him at the same time respectfully as their Teacher, 
—Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where 
dwellest Thou, that toe may be with Thee, and henceforth 
learn of Thee ? He saith graciously unto them, Come at 
once and see. — They came therefore, and saw where He 
dwelt, and abode with Him the remainder of that day and 
the night following*, for it was about the tenth hour (four 
in the afternoon) . 

One of the two (3) which heard John speak in the 
manner described concerning Jesus, and who afterwards 
followed Him home, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, 
Anxious to impart the joyful tidings, he first findeth (he 
was the first that found) his own brother Simon, — of 
whom both the disciples, well knowing his zealous dispo- 
sition, were in search; And he saith unto him, We have 
found the Messias (which is, being interpreted, the Christ, 
— or the Anointed One). And he brought him to Jesus. 
And when Jesus beheld him, He said immediately, — 
though He had not been informed either of his name, 
descent, or character, — Thou art Simon, the Son of Jona : 
as a chosen vessel unto Me and an undaunted preacher of 
* Thou ai-t Peter, and My Gospel, thou shalt be called Cephas W (which is by 
S#chSi mIu! interpretation Peter-that is, a Rock, or a Stone).* 
xvi - 18 - . The day following, Jesus would go forth (determined 



( 3 ) The tivo.] The other, not named, was 
probably the Evangelist John, who usually, from 
modesty, suppresses his own name. He men- 
tions the time of day and the words which passed 
with much exactness, as though he were a party 
present on the occasion. 

( 4 ) Thou shalt be called Cephas.] This was 
the Hebrew or Syriac name given to Simon, 
Peter being the corresponding one in Greek. It 
was not unusual with the Jewish Rabbis to give 



such new names to their pupils. No appellation 
could be better adapted to the character which 
Simon afterwards exhibited ; for although before 
his Master's death he was rash and impetuous, 
yet, subsequent to that event, he proved himself 
among the firmest and most zealous in preaching 
the Gospel. He was chiefly employed in esta- 
blishing the Church, though all the Apostles are 
equally called foundation-stones (Eph. ii, 20). 



PHILIP AND NATHANAEL ARE CONVERTED. 39 

to go) into Galilee ; and there He findeth Philip, and saith 

unto him, Follow Me {Become My disciple). Now Philip e Nathanaeiof Canain 

was of Bethsaida, ( 5 ) the city of Andrew and Peter, which Galilee " John xxL 2 - 
stood by the Lake of Gennesareth, and was chieflii inhabited * l * m *' aise * hem , u p 

a , ~ ^ *' a Prophet from their bre- 

by fishermen. — Philip findeth Nathanael (6) (or Bartholomew), thren like unto thee, and 

— who was also a Galilean, of Cana, e - — and saith unto him, mouth?* Deut°itiii. n ^! S 

We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law, f and g Beginning at Moses 

also the Prophets,^ did write : it is Jesus of Nazareth, the and a11 the prophets, He 

i J a i ivT i «7«7 • expounded unto them in 

son oi Joseph. And Nathanael, — greatly prejudiced against ail the Scriptures the 

a place, the wickedness as well as insignificance of which s^f^i^exxwS^ 1 " 1 " 

had become proverbial, — said unto him, Can there any good nsomesaid Shall Christ 

thing possibly come out of Nazareth ? h Philip saith unto come out of Galilee? John 

him, Come and see; converse with Jesus, and judge for They answered and said 

thyself if He be not the Christ. SroSfo*^ £ 

Jesus saw Nathanael as he was coming up to Him, loot, for out of Galilee 

. anseth no Prophet. John 

and saith or him to the bystanders at the moment of his vii. 52. 

approach, Behold in this man an Israelite indeed/ — such by » if y e were Abraham's 

character as well as merely by birth, and shewing forth in ^jJ£^J Abraham d john 

his daily life the virtues of that good old patriarch, the vuL39 ; _ 

father of the faithful— one in whom there is no hypocrisy one inwardly. Rom. ii. 

or guile. k Nathanael saith unto Him, Whence knowest 29 ; rh are not all Israel 

Thou me to be such as Thou hast described? Jesus answered whi £ h i,re of Israel - Rom - 

and said unto him, Before the moment that Philip called — which say they are 

thee,— when thou wast under the fig-tree, engaged there &3' m * BA " nML Rev ' 

in secret meditation and prayer, — I saw thee, 1 and knew thy k T . , . 

* ° ' y Jacob was a plain 

inmost thoughts. Nathanael, at once convinced by this man, dwelling in tents. 

striking proof of Divine Omniscience, answered and saith Blessed is the man in 

unto Him, Rabbi, assuredly Thou art the Son of God; ^ e J^^V 5 n ° 

Thou art the long looked-for Kino- of Israel ! (7 > Jesus , „ . , . , 

, j • t 1 • -r» t • Neither is there any 

answered and said unto him, Because I only said unto creature that is not mani- 

thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? thou ^^'^^tod'US 

shalt see much greater and more convincina things than °P ened . unto , the ^ of 

° u ° Him with whom we have 

these. to do. Heb. iv. 13. 

And He saith unto him, and to those who were present, 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see a 

train of miracles as surprising as though heaven itself ivere 



( 5 ) Bethsaida.] The exact site of this town 
(the name of which signifies a " Fishing-place") 
is uncertain. It stood at the head of the Lake 
of Gennesareth, but it is said (John xii. 21) to 
be in Galilee, whereas Josephus places it on the 
eastern side, in Philip's jurisdiction. It may 
have been so close to the river as to communi- 
cate by a bridge and so be esteemed a town of 
either country. Philip afterwards greatly im- 
proved the place, calling it Julias, in honour of 
Julia the daughter of Augustus. 

( 6 ) Nathanael.] There appear sufficient 
grounds for considering Nathanael to be the same 
as Bartholomew. That Apostle is paired in all 
the lists with Philip. The remarkable testimony 
borne by J esus, that this person was an Israelite 
indeed, would render him worthy of the same 
distinction as others who had believed. Under 



his own proper name (for the other of Bartho- 
lomew merely signifies the son of Tholomeus, as 
Barjona signified son of Jonas) he is again men 
tioned as one of the party fishing, to whom Jesus 
showed Himself as chosen witnesses of His Re- 
surrection ; yet he is not even spoken of to supply 
the place of the traitor. — This Apostle preached 
the Gospel among the barbarous Indians, and is 
said to have suffered martyrdom by crucifixion 
in Armenia. 

( 7 ) Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God, $c.] 
This was a very remarkable confession, for it 
sprung from the same conviction of the Omni- 
science of Jesus, as did the later one of Thomas. 
Nathanael owns Him as Teacher, — for Rabbi 
was a title of the distinguished Jewish teachers ; 
he owns His divinity, and he owns Him as the 
expected Messiah, or King of Israel. 



40 



THE BEGINNING OF MIRACLES. 



m And Jacob dreamed, 
and behold a ladder set 
up on the earth, and the 
top of it reached to hea- 
ven: and behold the an- 
gels of God ascending and 
descending pn it. Gen. 
xxviii. 12. 



to open, and the Angels of God were ascending and de- 
scending m ( 8 ) to wait upon the Son of man/ 9 ' and to receive 
and execute His commands. 



SECTION XXL 



The beginning of Miracles at Cana of Galilee. 



John ii. 1 — 11. 



AND the third day after the arrival of Jesus in the 
country there was a marriage^/eas^ in Cana, a town of 
Galilee/ 1 ' And the mother of Jesus was already there, 
being either a relative or intimate friend of the bride. And 
both Jesus was called (2 ' [was invited), and so also were 
His newly-converted disciples, to the marriage. 



( 8 ) Ye shall see heaven open, Qc. ] There is, 
doubtless, an allusion here to the mysterious 
dream of the Saviour's great earthly progenitor, 
Israel. The ladder which Jacob saw may be 
regarded as a type of Christ, the true medium of 
communication between earth and Heaven. The 
prediction here will also bear a literal sense: 
Angels are described as visibly ministering to our 
Lord — as at His Ascension (Acts i. 10, 11), when 
the same witnesses may have been present. The 
uncertain expression " Hereafter" will also bear a 
further reference to the Last Day (Matt. xxv. 31). 

( 9 ) The Son of Man.] This title, which our 
Lord assumed as a distinctive character, and uses 
familiarly of Himself, will be found generally to 
be an allusion either to His present humiliation 
or His future glory — strongly implying that the 
human naiaire did not originally belong to Him, 
and was not properly His own. Socinians and 
others, not perceiving the grounds of this refer- 
ence to the nature our Lord assumed, catch at 
such expressions as evidence of His simple hu- 
manity. The term certainly occurs in the Old 
Testament as an oriental idiom for man himself, 
but even there we have it expressly applied by 
Daniel to the Messiah; and one of the reasons 
of our Lord's so frequently adopting it, was to 
show that He is the Second Adam, the new 
covenant-head and elder brother of the race, 
— that one and only descendant of Adam, 
as the Promised Seed, under whom God had 
placed all things more completely in subjection 
than under His type, the original man. Turn- 
ing to the New Testament, we find the Jews 
themselves using the expression ' Son of Man' 
as synonymous with their Divine Messiah: "We 
have heard out of the Law that Christ abideth 
ever ; and how sayest Thou, the Son of Man must 
be lifted up?" (John xii. 34).— Our Lord em- 
ployed this title and connected the two natures 
on the memorable occasion of Peter's confession 
of His Divinity (Matt. xvi. 13, 16), and in a 
still more marked manner just before his death 
(Matt. xxvi. 63, 64). The title occurs seventeen 
times in St. Matthew's Gospel, twelve times in 
St. Mark, twenty-one times in St. Luke, and 



eleven times in St. John ; and on all these occa- 
sions it is alone applied by Christ to Himself — 
The Apostle Paul, when he speaks of the Atone- 
ment, repeatedly and emphatically dwells on the 
human nature of the Saviour : — " There is one 
God and one Mediator between God and men, 
the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. ii. 5). "By man 
came death ; by Man came also the resurrection 
from the dead." " The last Adam was made a 
quickening Spirit" (1 Cor. xv. 21, 45). — The 
beloved Apostle, in like manner, gives his Master 
this very title, when he describes Him as ap- 
pearing in glory too intense for mortal senses to 
contemplate, and declares Him to be the Al- 
mighty, the First and the Last (Rev. i. 13, &c.) 

( 1 ) Cana of Galilee.] This was a small place 
lying a few miles north of Nazareth, mentioned 
Josh. xix. 28. It is here called " of Galilee," 
because there was another Cana in the tribe of 
Ephraim. Mary, the sister of our Lord's mother, 
and wife of Cleophas or Alpheus (John xix. 25), 
is supposed to have lived here, and to have given 
this entertainment, for "Simon the Canaanite^ 
was one of the children of Alpheus. This con- 
nection, or an acquaintance with the people of the 
house, would account for the mother of our Lord 
being there previous to His being invited, as well 
as for her giving directions about the feast. It 
is probable that Joseph, who is not mentioned on 
this occasion, was already dead, as it seems clear 
was the case at our Lord's crucifixion, when H*? 
provided for His mother. 

( 2 ) Jesus was called.] This early opportunity 
seems to have been taken of shewing, that the 
Saviour did not affect those austerities which be- 
came the character and ministry of the Baptist. 
His manners, although grave, were ever unre- 
served ; and He was serious without severity. 
The social character which He exhibited on this 
particular occasion, by mixing in the innocent 
indulgences of life, conveys to us the important 
lesson, that virtue does not consist in withdrawing 
from the world, but in keeping ourselves un- 
spotted by it : we are to carry the Gospel abroad 
with us into the occupations of ordinary life. 



THE MIRACLE AT CANA. 41 

And before the days of the feast were over, when they 
wanted wine,— -for the quantity provided had failed from 
the great concourse of guests to see Jesus, — the mother of 
Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine left. Mary felt 
a natural anxiety that He should display His miraculous 
power on behalf of her friends by a further supply : but 
Jesus, at once discouraging any dictation in the exercise of 
His miraculous poivers, saith unto her, Woman, what have 
I to do with thee ?^' 3) Mine hour a {the proper time) for » His brethren said 
doing what you suggest is not yet come. ™ d to ^ojlZ^Z 

His mother, expectinq that at his own time He would th y d^ipies also may 

' r * see the works that Thou 

gratify the wish she had expressed, saith unto the servants, doest. Then Jesus said 

— that so all might be in readiness, — Whatsoever He saith nofyrt^mef 3 ! ^Tnot 

unto you, do it. And there were set there six water-pots "p^ to this feast. John 
of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, b 

. , 7 ,. , j? 7 . • • b The Jews, except they 

for their various ablutions before meals ; containing two or wash their hands oft 3 eat 
three firkins (measures of several gallons) apiece. (4) Jesus not Mark m 3 - 
saith unto them who were in attendance, Fill up the water- 
pots with w r ater: and they filled them up to the brim. And 
this being clone, He saith unto them, Draw out now some 
of this liquor, and bear it unto the governor (the manager 
or president) of the feast. And accordingly they bare it. 

When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that 
was now made into wine, (5) and knew not whence it was, 



( 3 ) Woman, what have I do with thee?] In the 
use of the term 'woman' in the Greek there is 
no disrespect. Ladies of the highest rank were 
anciently so addressed : in Xenophon, Cyrus so 
addresses the Queen of Armenia, and we find 
the same in Homer's poems, in the Greek drama, 
and also in writers of the more refined age of 
Augustus when Christ was born. It is by the 
same appellation that our Lord tenderly ad- 
dresses Mary Magdalene after His Resurrection 
(John xx. 15); and also His mother, on that 
most affecting of all occasions, when His thoughts 
were dwelling particularly on her welfare, and 
He was Himself expiring on the Cross (John xix. 
26). — The words which here follow, " What have 
I to do with thee ?" are merely a formula taken 
from the language of common life, and are to be 
interpreted according to the occasion and cir- 
cumstances of each particular case. It appears 
to have been chiefly used in repressing any re- 
quest or intended action, and sometimes shews 
disapprobation of the proposal (see 2 Sam. xix. 
22; 1 Kings xvii. 18; 2 Kings iii. 13; Mark v. 7). 
The reply of our Lord on this occasion conveyed 
some reproof, and was, no doubt, an intentional 
discouragement of the interference of His earthly 
parent in such matters. It appears to be almost 
a prophetical and standing protest against the 
superstition and idolatry of that Church which 
worships the Virgin. — The same Church dis- 
parages Marriage, absolutely prohibiting it in 
the Clergy : yet it was on occasion of a marriage 
that our Lord was pleased so remarkably to 
make His first display of glory, sanctioning this 
solemn and interesting rite by His presence. 

( 4 ) Containing two or three firkins apiece.} 



The quantity of wine made might be, altogether, 
above a hogshead. We need not suppose that so 
considerable a quantity was required or consumed 
at the time, though J ewish feasts usually lasted 
several days (Judg. xiv. 12), and the guests were 
numerous ; but it was not unsuitable to our Lord's 
character to provide the new-married persons 
with the remainder as a stock. The wine of 
Palestine, it should be added, was not a luxury 
like that brought to our tables; but, being the 
ordinary drink, would be much weaker than what 
is used in northern climates. From this miracle 
we gather that wine "which maketh glad the 
heart of man" (Ps. civ. 15), maybe innocently 
drank; and St. Paul recommends it, taken in 
moderation, to Timothy for his health's sake 
(1 Tim. v. 23). Christians must, however, bear 
in mind, that to multitudes it has proved the 
occasion of guilt and utter ruin, and that it is 
dangerous even to approach the limits of pro- 
priety. 

( 5 ) The water that teas made wine.] It is re- 
markable that the Jewish Lawgiver, who was com- 
missioned to work upon the fears of a tyrant, began 
his miracles by converting water into blood (Exod. 
vii. 20) ; while He who brought in a better Cove- 
nant, and whose obj ect was not to terrif}', but to per- 
suade men and change the heart, commenced His 
miracles by changing water into generous ivine. — 
It has been observed, that our Lord might have 
converted the water brought in the servants' 
vessels into wine, but that He preferred to fill the 
water-pots which stood there for purification, and 
from them to draw out the liquor converted into 
wine. This may have indicated that He was 
come to do away with the Old Dispensation of 



42 



THE MIRACLE AT CANA. 



— but the servants which drew the water well knew, — the 
governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith 
unto him, Every man at the beginning of a feast doth set 
forth (setteth on) good wine, and when men have well 
(sufficiently) drunk, then that which is worse (of an inferior 
quality) ; but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 

This beginning of miracles (6) did Jesus in Cana of 
Galilee, and thereby manifested forth His own glory, (7) — 
u the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father and 
His disciples believed more fully on (in) Him. 



SECTION XXII. 

Jesus attends the Passover at Jerusalem, where He commences 
His public Ministry with the first purging of the Temple. 

John ii. 12—25. 

AFTER this miracle wrought by Jesus at Cana, He went 
down to Capernaum (1 ); He, and with Him His mo- 
ther, and His brethren (His kinsmen), and His disciples. 
And the Jews 5 Passover was at hand, which required the 
» ah thy males shall attendance of all males of a fit age: 3 - and so they continued 

appear before the Lord ., . , 

thy God in the feast of there not many days. 

xv| e T6 Ued bread * DeUt ^- n ^ J esus 5 wno came to fulfil every righteous ordinance, 
duly went up to Jerusalem to attend the Feast. And when 
He arrived there, He found in the outer Court of the Tem- 
ple, called the Court of the Gentiles, those that, under pre- 
text of accommodating such as had offerings to make, 
every o^haf? a" shekel' so ^ oxen (bullocks), and sheep, and doves ; and also the 
after the shekel of the changers of heathen money b into Jewish shekels sitting at 

Sanctuary. Exod. xxx. , 7 . ,. a-iitt-iii c 

13. their occupation. And when He had made a scourge, or 



outward ceremonial cleansings, and to substitute 
the Gospel for the Law ; the water for purifying 
representing the one, and the wine into which it 
was changed .representing His blood under the 
other. Thus our Lord deigned to sanctify the 
fruit of the vine not only in the last, but in the 
first remarkable manifestation of Himself to His 
disciples. 

( 6 ) This beginning of miracles.'] This being 
our Lord's first miracle, the following definition 
of a true miracle may be given here. It is "a 
sensible effect, either in itself or in its circum- 
stances supernatural ; that is, above the natural 
powers of any visible agent, or evidently not so 
produced, or contrary to the general law of God's 
acting on matter." The following criteria have 
been proposed in respect to miracles: — 1. It is 
required that the fact be such as men's outward 
senses can judge of; 2. That it be notorious, 
performed publicly in the presence of witnesses ; 
3. That memorials be kept up in commemoration 
— such memorials commencing with the fact. 
These criteria apply generally to the Scripture 
miracles ; and where they all unite, a fact cannot 
be false. 



Q) Manifested forth His Glory.] This very 
remarkable expression is never used concerning 
the miracles of any other Prophet or Apostle. 
The Prophets of old were merely instruments in 
the hand of God to display His Almighty power; 
and the Apostles worked miracles in the name of 
Jesus of Nazareth alone. The expression shews 
that the Saviour wrought miracles by His own 
inherent power. 

(') Capernaum.] This large and populous 
place lay at the north-west corner of the Lake 
Gennesareth, about a day's journey from Cana, 
as appears from John iv. 52, 53. It was pro- 
bably one of the towns built by the Jews on their 
return from the Captivity, as we do not find it 
mentioned in the Old Testament. Our Lord 
wrought many miracles there, but the inhabitants 
were little the better for such distinguished 
favours. — In Travels of the seventh and eighth 
Centuries, the place is stated to have been still in 
existence under the same name ; but in due time 
our Lord's prediction concerning its destruction 
(Matt. xi. 23,) had its complete fulfilment. 



THE FIRST CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE. 



43 



the small cords or 7'ushes which lay there, as a symbol of 

authority, He drove them all out of the Temple/— for they c whose fan is in His 

were conscience-stricken, and too much awed by His com- fy'^^^'SSituSu 

manding presence to resist, — and with them the sheep and i2 - 
the oxen : And He also poured out upon the ground the 
changers' money, and overthrew the counting tables ; and 
said unto them that sold doves for the poorer worshippers, 
— -for He would not injure any by the loss of their pro- 
perty, — Take these things (the cages which contained the 
doves) hence : make not My Father's House an house of 
merchandize and common traffick. And His disciples, who 
had been at first surprised at such unusual excitement in 
their Master, remembered that it was written (Ps. lxix, 9), 

The zeal of Thine House hath eaten Me up d « * i must be about M y 

X ather s business. Luke 

(Solicitude for the honour of Thy Temple hath quite n.49. 

l i j n/r \ * s 8°°d to be zeal- 

aOSOrbea Me). ous l y affected always in a 

Then answered some of the rulers of the Jews,— who s oodthill s- Gai.iv.i8. 
in contempt of the Gentiles connived at this profanation,— 

and said ( 3 ) unto Him, What sign e in proof of Thy autho- ' "Then certain of the 

' ' -inm Scribes and Pharisees an- 

rity shewest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou takest so much swered saying, Master, we 

on Thyself and doest these things ? Jesus answered and The e d But He^Swere™, 

said unto them, By this sign My Divine mission shall be an !* sa l d " n *° then) ' An 

J ° . « evl l an d adulterous gene- 

proved: destroy this temple, and in three days I will of Mine ration seeketh after a sign, 

own power raise it up. (4) Then said the Jews contemptuously, g" ven to%t, but" fce^gn 

Forty and six years was this Temple in building ( 5 ) (in °S t 0 i.S°w^r toe? days 

course of restoration to its present state), and wilt Thou, in- three fights in fte 

deed, rear it up in three days? But He spake of the son of man be three days 

more sacred temple of His body, — the peculiar habitation ^^SS^SS. in M a tt! 

of Deity. f xh. 38-40. 

When, therefore, He was risen on the third day from f in Him dweiieth ail 

the dead, His disciples,- — though they did not now understand head bodily. ° Col. a. ix. 
the saying, — remembered that He had said this unto 

them : and they then more fully believed,? both the Scrip- * if i have told you 

ture as having predicted that great event, and the word 1 not ^ow^hJii yt 

which Jesus had said. +> el[eve , t£ tel l , of 

heavenly things? John 

Now when He was in Jerusalem, at the celebration of fit 12. 



( 2 ) The zeal of Thine House, <f-c] See Sec- 
tion CV., Note 2. 

( 3 ) Then answered the Jews and said. ] This 
form is sometimes used when no question has been 
put. See Section XXXIV., Note 4. 

( 4 ) / will raise it up.~\ What Christ here says 
He will do, namely to raise His own body from 
the grave, is elsewhere spoken of as the work of 
the Father and of the Holy Spirit ; being one of 
the numerous illustrations contained in Scripture 
of the Trinity : — " God hath raised up the Lord," 
(1 Cor. vh 14). — "Christ, being put to death in 
the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (1 Pet. 
iii. 18). 

( 5 ) Forty and six years was this Temple in 
building.] The Temple in which they then 
were was called the Second Temple, because 
a small portion remained of the one built by 



! Zorobabel upon the return from the Captivity. 
It stood on the same site as the first magnificent 
one built by Solomon, namely on Mount Moriah, 
but this is all that is positively known of the 
more ancient structure. Agreeably to the pre- 
diction of Haggai (ii. 9) the glory of the Latter 
Temple, in which our Lord appeared, was the 
greatest. Herod the Great commenced the 
repair or rather the rebuilding of Zorobabel's 
Temple in the eighteenth year of his reign, — that 
is, sixteen years before the birth of Christ ; and 
as this was now the thirtieth year of our Lord's 
age, the time hitherto occupied in the work (for 
it was not yet completed) was exactly forty-six 
years. — The Temple continued increasing in 
magnificence till the time of Nero, when it was 
completed, and 18,000 workmen were dismissed. 
See Section CXII. Note 1. 



44 



NICODEMUS VISITS JESUS. 



h Man looketh on the 
outward appearance, but 
the Lord looketh on the 
neart. 1 Sara. xvi. 7. 

The Lord searcheth all 
hearts, and understandeth 
all the imaginations of the 
thoughts. 1 Chron.xxviii. 
9. 

I, the Lord, search the 
heart. Jer. xvii. 10. 

Jesus knew from the 
beginning who they were 
that believed not. John 
vi. 64. 

I (the Son of Man) am 
He which searcheth the 
reins and hearts. Rev. 
ii. 23. 



this Passover, in the feast day {during the Feast, Gr.) 
many believed, though as yet but imperfectly, in His name 
(in Him as the Messiah), when they saw the miracles which 
He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them 
(did not confide in them), or openly declare Himself to be 
the Christ, because He knew the hearts of all men, and 
needed not that any should testify (should acquaint Him 
with the character) of man, for He, being Omniscient, 
knew well what deceitfulness was in man. h 



SECTION XXIII. 



NlCODEMUS, A RULER OP THE JEWS, VISITS JeSUS BY NIGHT. 

John iii. 1 — 21. 



■ if this Man were not HHHERE was then at Jerusalem a man of the sect of the 

of God, He could do no- | . , __. , ... , „ , T 

thing. Johnix. 33. J- Pharisees, named Nicodemus, ( > a ruler or the Jews. 

Marapp1o^d aZ oT h God The same came to Jesus h J night— /©r he was unwilling 
among you, by miracles to offend his brethren of the Council by an open visit, — and 

and wonders and signs , ' . . 

which God did by Him in said unto Him, Rabbi, we know (it is believed by many of 
the midst of you. Actsii. ^ that Thou art a Teacher come from God; for no man 
God anointed Jesus of can do these wonderful miracles that Thou doest, except 

Nazareth with the Holy . . . T i • 

Ghost and with power: God be with and assist Him. a Jesus answered and said 

good, and healing aif that unto him, This acknowledgement will not of itself suffice to 

vii* 6 for P1 God l was^ with cons ^ u ^ e a member of My kingdom : verily, verily I say 

Him. Acts x. 38. unto thee, Except a man be born again, b (experience an 

fa To them gave He po- en t{ re change of heart and life by means of Regeneration), 

wer to become the sons of ° . . . 

God, even to them tiiat he cannot see (discern or enjoy the blessings of) the King- 

believe on His name f r-^ 1 .„ 7 • 7 

which were born, not of dom or dod : neither can you, while you remain unrege- 
Se 0 flei° r nor of \he win nerate ^ appreciate the true character of the Messiah of whom 

of man, but of God. John you WOUld UOW enouire. 
i. 12 13. 

if 'any man be in Christ, Nicodemus saith unto Him, How can a man be born 

he is a new Creature. 2 when hg ^ M ? Qan he enter the second time 

— born again, not of i n to his mother's womb and be born ? Jesus, — perceiving 

corruptible seed, but of 77777 • 7 /> 77. 

incorruptible. 1 Pet. i. 23. that he understood what had been said of a natural birth, 

c He that beiieveth and rather than of Spiritual Generation, — answered, Verily, 

MarklTv^ier 11 besdVed * verily, I say unto thee, Except a man, who has the oppor- 

Repent, and be baptized tuniti/ of such privilege, be born of water and of the 

every one of you tor the . . 

remission of sins, and ye Spirit, 0 (2) — becoming My disciple by Baptismal Regenera- 



(') Nicodemus.'] As it was the chief object 
of J ohn to show that Jesus was the Messiah, he 
adduces the remarkable testimony of this person, 
one of rank among the Jews, and a member of 
their Sanhedrim (John vii. 50). However imper- 
fect the notions of Nicodemus were at first, he was 
convinced of the Divine mission of Jesus, and 
retained that belief until his death. He is twice 
mentioned by John subsequent to this visit ; 
namely, when he openly advocates the Saviour's I 



cause, defending Him against the unjust suspi- 
cions of the Jews (John vii. 50, 51); and when he 
assists in embalming His body (John xix. 39). 

( 2 ) Born of water and of the Spirit. ] We are 
naturally led to interpret the New Birth of Holy 
Baptism, when we compare this discourse with 
the explicit charge to the disciples to baptize ; 
with the promise that ''whosoever beiieveth and 
is baptized shall be saved ;" and with the decla- 
ration of St. Paul, that "we are saved by the 



NICODEMUS VISITS JESUS. 



45 



Hon, — he cannot be properly initiated into the Gospel Co- shall receive the gift of 

venant, and so cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. ^ Hol y GhosL Acts - n - 

That which is born of the flesh, and so partakes of the cy A Sl^ d to u f tTe 

nature of the parent, is still flesh only, minding carnal washing of Regeneration 

, , . , /. 1 tt i a • - ' •• anc * renewing of the Holy 

things ; and that which is born of the Holy spirit is spirit Ghost. Tit. hi. 5. 
(is spiritual). Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye (even 
you who are Jews) must be born again. This birth is not 

discernible by the eye of sense : the wind d in the natural d As thou knowest not 

world bloweth where it listeth (where it will), in different I^thou l-nowest^ot 6 tS 

directions uncontrolled by man, and thou hearest the sound ^J rkS E^es d, ri h 5 maketh 

thereof, and art assured of its existence from its wonderful There came a sound 

effects; but, not seeing it, thou canst not tell the manner of mg^ghiy wind . . a . r . ami 

its operations, — whence it cometh and whither it goeth. ^^Hoi^Ghost 

So is it with every one that is born of the Spirit. (3) 2, 4. 

Nicodemus, tvho had been taught to place religion 
chiefly in external things, answered again with surprise, 
and said unto Him, But how can these things possibly be ? 



they were all filled with 
Actsii 



washing (or laver) of Regeneration." Accord- 
ingly, such has been the unanimous opinion of 
ancient interpreters, as well as of the more emi- 
nent of the earlier moderns; and in conformity 
with that opinion, our Church, in unvarying 
language, has always asserted the doctrine of 
Baptismal Regeneration. In the Ninth of her 
Articles, speaking of the infection of human na- 
ture, she uses the words regenerate and baptized 
as equivalent, (for its framers translate the word 
renatis both ways). — We cannot make our Lord 
speak of two births, when He manifestly speaks 
but of one. The birth spoken of is not from 
water by itself, nor from the Spirit alone, but the 
two agents meet in the production of a new crea- 
ture. What is granted and received in Christian 
Baptism is a change from the state natural into 
the state spiritual; a translation from the curse of 
Adam into the grace of Christ. By this federal 
admission into Christianity, many privileges are 
made over on God's part to the baptized ; but all 
are reducible to two, remission of sins, and a 
covenant-claim for the time being to eternal hap- 
piness. To infants who are brought by believers 
to the font, original sin is remitted, and the 
grace of the Holy Spirit conferred: yet the 
continuance of it is suspended on conditions, 
which, when they come to years of discretion, 
they may or may not fulfil. Not only may the 
grace bestowed be weakened, but entirely lost; 
and therefore we pray for the person about to be 
regenerated, "that all things belonging to the 
Spirit may live and grow in him." The original 
words in the text rendered "Except a man, &c." 
strictly mean, "Except any human creature.'''' — 
whether man, woman, or child. &c. ; thus ex- 
tending the benefits of baptism to the entire 
flock, irrespective of age. If a child can be 
esteemed sinful without actual wickedness, so 
it may be esteemed holy without actual righteous- 
ness. 

Many of the misapprehensions on this impor- 
tant subject arise from confounding Regeneration 
with Renovation. Those who hold Baptismal 
Regeneration according to the mind of the 
Church, by no means assert that it is all which 



is necessary. Although it places us at the time 
in a state of acceptance and justification, yet 
there is great need of the constant renewing of 
the Holy Spirit, to preserve us in that state 
here, and to secure our reward hereafter. So St. 
Paul seems plainly to set forth in his admirable 
summary of Christian doctrine addressed to Titus 
(see Tit. iii. 5). If those heavenly motions, 
first vouchsafed at Baptism, are complied with, 
the renewing proceeds through the whole course 
of the spiritual life ; and in accordance with this 
view, we do not find any Scripture exhortations 
to Christians to become regenerated, but there 
are several urging them to be renewed. — As the 
Sacrament of Baptism is the prescribed mode of 
Regeneration, so is the Lord's Supper the chief 
prescribed mode of Renovation: the soul which 
is born anew in the one is to be strengthened 
and refreshed in the other. 

( 3 ) So is every one that is born of the Spirit. ] 
Perhaps there is no one subject on which we 
should be so careful not to go before our chief 
guide, — the authority of Scripture, — as in this of 
Spiritual influence. Sectarians, who deny bap- 
tismal regeneration, stumble at the threshold, 
and do not recover their steps; they understand 
" the witness of the Spirit" as an unaccountable 
enthusiasm, instead of being, as it is, a sober 
rational testimony. What are miscalled expe- 
riences are often self-deceptions, and can be no 
true tests of holiness. — There are many danger- 
ous errors connected with this subject. Thus 
it is wrong to imagine that to any individual 
Christian there is not given a sufficiency of grace 
to work out his salvation ; to suppose that grace 
so given will necessarily produce the effect in- 
tended; and above all, it is dangerous to pre- 
sume upon any absolute assurance of being led 
by the Spirit without a corresponding practical 
effect upon the heart and life. This is the only 
sure testimony (1 John iii. 9). The Church fur- 
ther collects from Scripture that the gift of the 
Spirit is perfectly gratuitous ; that it by no means 
acts irresistibly; and that its ordinary influence is 
gradual and progressive. 



4G 



NICODEMUS VISITS JESUS. 



e The Lord thy God Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master 
SeL. C De7 C xxx. e^ 6 (a teacher) of Israel, and yet knowest not these things, 

0 God, renew a right yjj^^ are plainly enough declared in the Scriptures ? e 

spirit within me. Ps. h. , , , TTT , ,1 g , 

10 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do cer- 

na^atiwuiniaewltt tainly know <*) to be true, and testify that which we have 

the house of Israel: After an( j g rece i ve no t our witness. If I have thus told 

those days, saith the Lord, " J m 

i will put My law in you of what may, speaking comparatively, be termed earthly 
writs iHnVeir 1 1iear"s. things, — since they admit of similitudes taken from effects 
Je TheT'wiii i sprinkle witnessed upon earth, — and ye believe them not ; how shall 
clean water upon you, and y 6 belie ve if I go oil to tell you of those heavenly things f 
hearuiisowm i give you, which are still harder for the natural man to receive, and are 
wito yrflnd"! 1 ^! mysteries much less capable of being illustrated from human 
put My Spirit within you. experience ? And no man hath ascended up to Heaven to 

Ezek xxxvi. 25—27. . . „ i TT i 

bring down information of such things, but He that came 

f As the heavens are , . 0 r ■. • , • / 7 

higher than the earth, down from Heaven, even the bon oi man which is [whose 
than 6 ymfr ^ays^and proper dwelling-place is) in Heaven.g And, as you would 
My thoughts than your discover the truth, avoid the first error of thinking that I 

thoughts. Isa.lv. 9. > / . J i4i j 

am come as a great temporal prince; for as Moses lilted 
nlaven ame . What am! up [erected upon a pole) the Brazen Serpent in the wilder- 
manVscend up whe^He ness > h that the people looking thereon might be saved, even 
was before? johnvi. 38, s0 (after a similar manner) must the Son of man be lifted 

up 1 (5) conspicuously upon a Cross : that whosoever, ivhe- 
MoseT, h Make thee"! fiery ther Jew or Gentile, believeth in Him, the suffering Son of 

Serpent and set it upon a Q Q d a§ ffe on fa. mer if or i OUS caUSC of Salvation, should not 
pole : and it shall come to 7 J v * 

pass that every one that is perish under the sentence of Divine justice, but should rise 

bitten, when he looketh , i vr V ti J x • 

upon it, shall live. And from the grave and have eternal lile. K Jb or (jrod, who is 

Trass; and itcanXpass' L ° Ve itsel f> 80 loved the WOrld > the nation of His hands, 

that if a serpent had bitten that He freely gave and even delivered unto death His only 

any man, when he beheld o. ? i it . TT . i -i i 

the Serpent of brass he begotten son, that whosoever believeth m Him should not 
lived. NumKxxi.8,9^ perish ^ but shouU have everlasting life. 1 For God sent 

from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. John xii. 32. 

k Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. John vi. 47. 

1 God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom. v. 8. — 
He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. Rom. viii. 32. — In this was manifested the love 
of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 

1 John iv. 9. 



( 4 ) We speak that we do know.'] There may be 
reference here to the Father, who is so often men- 
tioned as agreeing with the Son ; or to the Baptist, 
who gave his testimony to the same truth. Yet 
the plural number is frequently employed in the 
purest writings by a person in authority speaking 
of himself; and our Lord, in the next sentence, 
proceeds, " If I have told you earthly things," 
&c. He again uses the plural at Mark iv. 30. 

( 5 ) So must the Son of Man be lifted np.~\ 
This allusion by our Lord to His Passion seems 
to be one of the heavenly things of which He had: 
just before spoken. The doctrine of a suffering 
and dying Messiah would be so contrary to all 
the hopes and expectations of a Jew, that, even 
to one so well disposed as Nicodemus, it was 
veiled under a figure. The Brazen Serpent, 
which is one of the most remarkable types of 
Christ, afforded a striking comparison, both as 
to the mode of death and its cause: for as the 



Israelites, who looked with faith on the Serpent 
raised up in their sight, were cured of their 
wounds, so are all sinners to participate in Sal- 
vation who will faithfullv " look unto Jesus" 
(Heb. xii. 2). 

It may be observed, in connection with this 
passage, that a Type is "a designed resemblance 
between two events, the one which first takes 
place being a prophetical intimation of the 
other." Our translators have rendered the ori- 
ginal of this word variously : at John xx. 25, 
Type is rendered print; at Acts vii. 43, figure or 
model; at Rom. vi. 17, form of doctrine; and 
at 1 Cor. x. 6, example. Yet the same idea 
is preserved of a. pattern or copy, — of some- 
thing to be imitated. Perhaps nothing will more 
aptly expi-ess the connection between a Type and 
its Antitype, than the similitude between the 
first sketch of a picture, and that picture when 
completely finished. 



NICODEMUS VISITS JESUS. 



47 



demnation to them which 
are in Christ Jesus. Rom . 



not His Son into the world to condemn and punish the m The Son of man is 

. , , , liii i ,lot come to destroy men's 

world, as He so justly might ; but that the worlds through ii ves , but to save them. 
faith in Him and reliance on His atonement, might be ^c^e^ot to judge the 
saved. m He that truly believeth on Him is not con- world, but to save the 

. . world. John xii. 47. 

demned : n but he that has the opportunity of knowing the The Father sent the 

Gospel, and believeth not, is condemned already as guilty ^e^lrM. * i e john°iv. r i°i! 

by the Law, and by his own conscience, and by God; his n There is now no con- 
punishment is inevitable, because, notwithstanding such 

display of the Divine mercy, he hath not believed in the vm. i 

name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the ft Then spake Jesus 

ground of condemnation, that Divine Light is now come ^^rid^John^m^' 
into the world ; ° and men, resisting the evidence vouchsafed 

' _ ' ., u ,.x i p The y ( the wicked) 

to ttiem, have loved darkness [ignorance and sin) rather are of those that rebel 
than Light, because their deeds were evil.P Vm to great is ^TJS,^^ 
the force of evil passion and prejudice, that every one that nor abide T * n the P aths 

i i -i t i i t • i • i i i -r- i thereof. Job xxiv. 13. 

doeth evil hateth the -Light, neither cometh to the -Light, 

lest his deeds should be reproved i (discovered, Marg.) reproved M^mad^mani- 

But he that doeth truth r (who liveth uprightly according to the u z ht E P h - 

the Truth), hath nothing ivhereof to be ashamed, and cometh r The fruJt of ^ g _ 

to the Light, — seeking to approach it more and more by rft is in ail goodness and 

/» ,t . -i'-ii i i righteousness and truth. 

every means of grace, — that so his deeds may be made Eph. v. 9. 
manifest that they are wrought in God, even according to 
the Almighty will. 



SECTION XXIV. 

The Baptist bears final testimony to Jesus at ^Enon. 
John iii. 22 — 36. 

AFTER these things came Jesus and His disciples into 
the land of Judea ; and there he tarried awhile with 
them, and through their aqency baptized a such as believed a Jesus Himself bap. 

. tt' a i t i i • • „ tized not, but His disci- 

in Him. — And John also was baptizing m ^Enon, ( ) near to pies. Johniv. 2. 
Salim on the west side of the Jordan ; which was a conve- 
nient spot, because there was much water (many small 
pools, Gr.) there. And they (those of the jieople who fol- 
lowed the Baptist) came thither to him, and were baptized ; 
for John was not yet cast into prison. 

Then there arose a question (a controversy) between some 
of John^s disciples and certain of the Jews (s) who had been 
baptized by the disciples of Christ, about purifying (about 
baptismal purification). And they, jealous of the groiving 



(*) JEnon.] The situation of this place is some 
what uncertain, but it is supposed to have been 
in Samaria ; and it was certainly on the west side 
of the river, since John's disciples observe that 
on a former occasion lie had baptized " beyond 
J ordan." It was most likely the same as Shalim, 
mentioned 1 Sara, ix. 4, remarkable, as that name 
implies, for its springs. 



( 2 ) The Jews.] Very many versions have 
the reading " a Jew" which is adopted by 
almost all the editors. It has not, however, 
been thought necessary to disturb the common 
reading, as the main purport of the passage is 
not affected. 



48 



THE BAPTIST BEARS FINAL TESTIMONY TO JESUS. 



popularity of Jesus, came unto John for satisfaction in this 
matter, and said unto him, Rabbi, He that was with thee 
beyond Jordan to he baptized, to whom thou bearest witness 
as the Son of God, behold, the same now baptizeth, even 
taking upon Himself thy peculiar office ; and all men {great 
multitudes) come to Him. — John answered and said^ A 
man can receive nothing of power and authority except it 
b who maketh thee to \y Q given him, — as my commission was, — from heaven. b 

differ from another, and a . 

what hast thou that thou Ye yourselves can bear me witness that I said, I am not 
didst not receive? i Cor. Ch r i s t^ but that I am only sent before Him to prepare 
No man taketh this men f or jfi s coming, and direct them to Him: I pretend 

honour unto himself but . . 

he that is called of God. not to equality with One, whose servant I am unworthy 
Every perfect gift is to he. He that hath peculiar right in the bride, is the 
doTntrtheFateS Bridegroom c p • but the friend of the Bridegroom (the 
lights. Jas. i. 17. brideman) which standeth near and heareth him expressing 
c Can the children of the his delight in her, so far from entertaining feelings of envy, 

bridechamber mourn as • • . i i_i i r >i t» • i 7 • ^i • 

long as the Bridegroom is rejoieetn greatly because oi the .bridegrooms voice: this 
with them? But the days m y i 0 y therefore, is in like manner fulfilled in hearing 

will come when the Bride- J J j ? / a 

groom shall be taken from Messiah speak graciously to His Church and invite her to 

them. Matt. ix. 15. , TT . ^ T . 7 

come to- Him. He must increase more and more in autho- 
paiV,y, ar an b d m po^er^ n MKi r ^y an d influence ; but I must decrease, — even as the 
might, and dominion, and mining-star waneth away before the Rising Sun. He that 

every name that is named, u . . 

not only m this world, but cometh from above, as Messiah hath come, is transcen- 
m Eph. 1 2i. 1 18 t0 dently above all d the children of men. He that is of the 



come. 
Chi 

God blessed for ever. 



earth only, as I am, — partaking of a corrupt origin, and 



ix. 5. full of imperfection, — is earthly, and speaketh of the earth 

(of earthly things), so that the character of his teaching 
the earth, earthy ^"thfse^ must needs be of an inferior order: but He that cometh 
cond Man is the Lord f rom above, although condescending to dwell for a time on 

from heaven. 1 Lor. xv. 7 ° a J 

4". earth, is above all e in the heavenly nature of His doctrine, 

f All things that I have as much as He is in the unapproachable dignity of Hvf per- 

hl7e made* kowfito son - what He hath seen and heard with His Father, 

you. John xv. lo. that He plainly testifieth; f and yet no man (scarcely any 

s He that sent Me is one) receiveth His testimony.^ He that hath from the 

true. John viii. 26. , . TT . . 1177 77- . 

He that beiieveth not heart received His testimony, hath declared his conviction 

&£2£i?u2ZZ and set his seal ( his ^station) to this; that God is 
not the record that God true,£ and is now doing by Christ what He promised 

gave of His Sou. 1 John > , * . . „ -r^, <r» 

v. 10. from the beginning of the world. For He, whom God 



( 3 ) He that hath the bride is the Bridegroom. ] 
The marriage-union is a figure frequently em- 
ployed in the Psalms and Prophets to represent 
the intimate union which subsists between Je- 
hovah and His people; and it is also made use 
of in the New Testament to describe the same 
connexion betwixt Christ and His Church (see 
Matt. xxii. 2; 2 Cor. xi. 2; Eph. v. 27; Rev. 
xix. 7 ; xxi. 9 ). Thus the title of Bridegroom 
here applied to Christ, and which He afterwards 
assumed (Matt. ix. 15), identifies Him with Je- 
hovah. — The Baptist represents himself as the 
Paranymph or Brideman (as the friend was 
called), who presented the husband to the bride, 
and continued with them during the first days of 



the feast. The Baptist's ministry is supposed 
to have lasted only six months, being the excess 
of his age over that of Jesus. 

( 4 ) No man receiveth His testimony.] This 
is one of those occasional phrases which must 
not be too rigidly interpreted. That such has 
always been a figurative way of speaking, ap- 
pears from the purest classical writers of anti- 
quity. Thus we have the phrase " Nemo, hercule, 
nemo; vel duo, vel nemo." — So again, those 
who here came to ask an explanation of John, 
complain that " all men''' were going over to 
Jesus, — an hyperbole common to those who 
speak under the influence of passion or pre- 
judice. 



<;5 



SECTION XXXIII. 

The miraculous cure of a Leper. 
Matt. viii. 2—4. Mark i. 40—45. Luke v. 12— 16. 

AND it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, 
behold there was a man full of leprosy; (1) who, 
seeing Jesus, came to Him, beseeching Him; and 
kneeling down to Him, fell on his face and worshipped 
Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me 
clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth His 
hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will do so : 
henceforth be thou clean. And as soon as He had spoken 
the words, immediately the leprosy departed from him, 
and he was thoroughly cleansed. And He straitly {strictly) 
charged him that he should not make the miracle known; 
and forthwith sent him away, and saith unto him, See that 
thou say nothing concerning this to any man, but go thy a T] e h ^ ^ 
way (2 ) at once ; shew thyself to the officiating priest, and and behold, if the plague 
offer for thy cleansing those things [the gift, Matt.] J^ieper; men\haU ihe 
which Moses commanded a , for a testimony unto them^ priest c*™nd to take tor 

? J mm that is to be cleansed 

of thy cleansing, and as a sign that the Messiah is come. two birds, alive and clean, 

_ . , , ,i r i t p aQ d cedar wood, and scar- 

But so much the more there went a lame abroad ot let and bvssop 

Him: for he who had been healed went out, and began to £ e nd ^ ty ig two hi 
publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, being too lambs without blench, 

L . . . and one ewe-lamb of tbe 

much transported with joy to conceal it. And great multi- first year without blemish, 
tudes came together to hear the Lord preach, and to be p e £? n ?rnzZt^ff£ 
healed by Him of their infirmities; insomuch that Jesus ™& mingled with oil, 

J and one log of oil. Lev. 

could no more, ivithout inconvenience and a risk of tumult, xiv. 3, 4, 10. 



( ] ) Full of leprosy.] This disease, so fre- 
quently mentioned in the Bible, was the most 
dreadful which it is possible to conceive. It was 
both infectious and hereditary; slow in its pro- 
gress, exhibiting itself at first in spots on the 
surface of the skin, but it became at length 
deeply seated in the bones and joints, w T hich 
gradually lost their power, and caused the 
body to collapse in an awful manner. It was 
considered incurable. Thus we find a king of 
Israel exclaiming; "Am I God, to kill and to 
make alive, that this man doth send unto me to 
recover a man of his leprosy?" (2 Kings v. 70 
— The disease was most loathsome and offensive 
in its character, and the Law considered lepers 
as unclean or impure, excluding them, whatever 
might be their rank (see Numb. xii. 14 ; 2 Kings 
xv. 5), from all intercourse with society: they 
were forbidden to enter any walled town ; were 
obliged to make themselves known by a peculiar 
dress: and if any person heedlessly approached, 
to cry out "Unclean, Unclean" (Lev. xiii. 45). 
Leprosy was an emblem of the pollution of sin, 
and was particularly regarded by the Jews as a 
divine judgment, probably because it had been 
inflicted as such in the cases of Miriam, Uzziah, 



and Gehazi. — The disease, though now of less 
frequent occurrence, still exists in Palestine, and 
lepers are obliged to live together, apart from 
their fellow-men. That it was not uncommon 
in England during the intercourse with Palestine, 
through the Crusades, we may infer from the 
hospitals founded for lepers. 

( 2 ) Say nothing to any man, <Jf c. ] This re- 
markable transaction could not long be concealed, 
but there were urgent reasons why it should be kept 
secret at the time. If the report of the cure had 
gone before, the priest (who was to pronounce 
the man clean before he could be restored to 
society) might, out of malice to Jesus, have pro- 
nounced it an imposition. Also, our Lord did 
not wish needlessly to exasperate His enemies, or 
urge them to any premature designs against 
Him. 

( 3 ) For a testimony unto them. ] The cleans- 
ing of lepers is declared to be a sign of the 
Advent of the Messiah (Matt. xi. o). It was an 
undeniable proof of divine power, and by such a 
sign their forefathers had been convinced that 
Moses was sent bv God as their temporal deli- 
verer (Exod. iv. 6—8, 31). 

F 



6G 



THE CURE OF TKE PARALYTIC MAN. 



enter openly into the city, but was compelled to be without 
in desert places ; and accordingly He again withdrew Him- 
self and prayed. And they came to Him even there from 
every quarter. 



SECTION XXXIV. 

In curing a paralytic man, Jesus declares His power of 

forgiving sins. 

Matt. ix. 2—8. Mark ii. 1—12. Luke v. 17—26. 

AND again, after some days had intervened, He entered 
privately into Capernaum. And it was noised 
{reported about) that He was at home, in the house where 
He usually lodged. And straightway many were gathered 
together in the street, insomuch that there was no room 
to receive them — no, not so much as about the door. And 
He preached the Word of God unto as many of them as 
could be admitted ivithin the court-yard of the house. 

And it came to pass on a certain day, as He was thus 
teaching the people, that there were Pharisees and doctors 
of the Law sitting by, which were come out of every town 
of Galilee, and even from Judea and Jerusalem. And the 
power of the Lord was present, as on other occasions, 
to heal them who came unto Him to be cured of their 
infirmities. 

And behold they come unto Him, bringing one sick of 
the palsy, lying on a bed [a litter or pallet), which was 
borne of four men. And they sought means to bring him 
in through the door-way, and to lay him before Him in the 
court-yard where He stood. And when they could not 
come nigh unto Him for the press about the entrance, and 
could not find by what way they might bring him {the 
sick man) in because of the multitude, they went upon the 
house-top, and uncovered the roof (1) {unrolled the awning 
which covered the court) where He was ; and as the breast- 
work or railing of the parapet-wall was still in the way, 
when they had broken it up, they let him down through 



0) Uncovered the roof.} Houses throughout 
the East were, as they still are, built low, gene- 
rally only with a ground-floor, and flat-roofed. 
The building within which our Saviour was now 
teaching, appears to have been a square, with a 
paved court, the walls of which were frequently 
ornamented up to the roof with glazed or painted 
tiling. The entrance from the street into the 
court was through a gate-way or passage-room, 
at which point the staircase leading to the roof 
w as generally placed. The roof was used as a 
terrace for walking or for retirement (see 1 Sam. 
ix. 25 ; 2 Sam. xi. 2 ; Acts x. 9). From the 



balustrade or parapet-wall of the roof it was cus- 
tomary to fix cords, and upon them to expand 
an awning, as a shelter from the heat or rain. — 
Our Saviour now stood with the people in the 
court. The paralytic was carried up to the roof, 
either by gaining the staircase in the gateway, 
or by conveying him over an adjoining roof; and 
it seems that, when there, they found it neces- 
sary to remove a small portion of the railing or 
parapet, after which they could easily let him 
down along the wall by cords "into the midst," 
— that is, into the middle of the el ivoost, as the 
court is now called in Arabic. 



JESUS FORGIVES SINS. 



67 



(by) the glazed tiling of the side-wall? with the bed 
wherein he lay, into the midst before Jesus. 

And when Jesus saw their faith (2) in His power to 
heal, — so strikingly shewn in these efforts to approach 
Him, — He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good 
cheer ; thy sins, which brought on this disease, be (hereby 
are) forgiven thee. b (3) 

And behold certain of the Scribes and the Pharisees 
sitting there, began to reason in their hearts, and said 
within themselves, This man blasphemeth and impiously 
invadeth the prerogative of God: why doth this man thus 
audaciously speak blasphemies ? Who is this presump- 
tuous person, andvrho can forgive sins but God only? c 

And immediately, when Jesus, knowing all their 
thoughts, perceived in His spirit (ivithin His own mind) 
that they so reasoned within themselves/ He answering 
said unto them/ 4) Wherefore think ye evil concerning Me, 
and reason these things in your hearts ? For whether is 
it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be for- 
given thee — of which pardon no outward proof would ap- 
pear ; or to say with effect, Arise, and take up thy 
bed and walk — showing by the result that the temporal 
punishment of sin is indeed forgiven ? e But this undeniable 
proof of forgiveness ye shall now witness, that ye may 
know that the Son of Man, even while on earth, hath com- 
plete power — as being Himself God — to forgive sins. — 
Then saith He to the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, 
Arise and take up thy bed, and go thy way home unto 
thine house. And immediately he arose, and took up that 
whereon he lay, — thereby showing that his perfect strength 
was restored, — and went forth out of the court before them 
all, and departed to his own house, glorifying God as he 
went: insomuch that when the multitudes saw it, they 
were all amazed, and they too glorified God, which had 
given such extraordinary power unto any among men; 
and they were filled with reverential fear, saying, We have 
seen strange (unexpected and wonderful) things (5) to-day; 
we never before saw it on this fashion (we never witnessed 
anything which at all resembled it) ! 



• Then the disciples 
took Paul hy night, and 
let him down by the wall 
in a basket. Acts ix. 



b Jesus findeth him 
(that was healed) in the 
Temple, and said unto 
him, Behold thou art made 
whole : sin no more, lest a 
worse thing come unto 
thee. John v. 14. 

For this cause many 
are weak and sickly 
among you. 1 Cor. xi. 
30. 

If he (the sick) have 
committed sins, they shall 
be forgiven him. Jas. v. 
15. 

c The Lord, the Lord 
God, merciful and gra- 
cious,... .forgiving iniquity 
and transgression and sin. 
Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. 

I, even I, am He that 
blotteth out thy transgres- 
sions. Isa. xliii. 25. 

d The Lord searcheth 
all hearts, and under- 
standeth the imaginations 
of the thoughts. 1 Chron. 
xxviii. 9. 

O Lord, Thou hast 
searched me and known 
me ;...Thou uuderstandest 
my thought afar off. Ps. 
cxxxix. 1, 2. 



e The inhabitant shall 
not say, I am sick; the 
people that dwell therein 
shall be forgiven their ini- 
quity, Isa. xxxiii. 24. 



(*) When Jesus saw their faith]. From this 
and some other miracles (see Matt. viii. 13; 
Mark ix. 22, 23 ; Luke viii. 50), it is evident 
that the faith of others may prevail for ob- 
taining temporal blessings (see also Jas. v. 15.) 

( 3 ) Thy sins be forgiven thee.] See Section 
XXXVI., Note 4. 

( 4 ) He answering, said unto them.] This 
phrase is occasionally used in the Greek when 
no question lias been put, nor even anything pre- 



viously said. It is then a reply, — either divine (as 
here), or inspired, — to the thoughts and reason- 
ings of others. At Luke xiv. 3, we find it used 
by our Lord, in reply to the act of watching 
him. 

( 5 ) Strange things.] This is rather a weak, 
if not also unfortunate, sense of the original ex- 
pression. Latin Versions have mirabilia. So 
Pliny writes (Ep. ix. 26) " Sunt maxime ■mira- 
bilia, utque Graeci magis exprimunt napddoga. 



F 2 



68 



SECTION XXXV. 
St. Matthew is called. 
Matt ix. 9. Mark ii. 13, 14. Luke v. 27, 28. 

AND after these things Jesus went forth again by the 
sea-side (the shore of Lake Gennesaret) ; and all the 
multitude resorted unto Him, and He taught them. And 
as He passed by from thence, He saw a man, who ivas a 
* M ^ thew ; l 3 lie p u1jH " Publican, named Matthew, a otherwise Levi, (1 ) the son of 
Alpheus, sitting at the receipt of custom (2) [attending his 
duties at the custom-house) to receive dues from such as 
trafficked on the Lake, And He said unto him, Follow Me 
(Become My disciple) . And he immediately left all (renounced 
his profitable occupation), rose up, and followed Him. 

SECTION XXXVI. 

Jesus again attends the Passover at Jerusalem, where He 
cures the Cripple at Bethesda, and makes a sublime 
defence of hls character and mission before the jewish 

RULERS. 

John v. 1 — 47. 

AFTER this there was a Feast of the Jews, W which 
was their great annual Feast of the Passover; and 



( ') Matthew, otherwise Levi.] It was common 
with the Jews to have more than one name. 
Levi was clearly a Hebrew name ; Matthew pro- 
bably a Gentile one assumed in the exercise 
of his profession, which was to co'llect the cus- 
toms upon the imports and exports of Caper- 
naum. By this name he invariably styles him- 
self, — to show, perhaps, the condescension of 
Christ to a man of such a calling ; whereas St. 
Mark and St. Luke always mention him by his 
more honourable name of Levi. Humility seems 
to have been a prominent feature of Ins cha- 
racter, for he omits the incident, here recorded 
by Luke, that he " left all" to follow Christ : he 
also places himself after Thomas (Matt. x. 3), 
before whom he is ranked by St. Mark and St. 
Luke, in the enumeration of the Twelve ; and he 
makes no mention of the great feast at his house, 
which our Lord honoured with his presence 
(Luke v. 29). We may conclude that St, Mat- 
thew was converted in heart before this call ; for 
he must have had frequent opportunities, as a 
resident at Capernaum, of witnessing the miracles 
of Christ, and of hearing His doctrine, — and pos- 
sibly he was one of those publicans who came to 
John for baptism. 

St. Mark here calls Matthew "the son of 
Alpheus," and Church history confirms the fact. 
Of his history after our Lord's death we are en- 
tirely ignorant, except that he died a natural 



death. He was an eye-witness of every fact 
which he records except two, which he gives on 
the authority of the more favoured disciples. 
There is no doubt that he wrote first, and for the 
use of the original converts; probably in or about 
the year 61, though some opinions have placed 
the date considerably earlier. As his object was 
not a circumstantial biography, he writes, not in 
the order of events but of things, in the manner 
that Xenophon wrote his Memorabilia. With 
regard to the language in which he wrote, the 
consent of antiquity pleads strongly for a Hebrew 
original, which must have been corrupted, and 
afterwards lost; but there is very strong internal 
evidence for the Greek, and he quotes from the 
Septuagint, rather than the Hebrew version. On 
the whole, it is not improbable that he wrote in 
both languages, as Josephus wrote his History. 

( 2 ) The receipt of custom.] The dues re- 
ceived for the government seem to have been 
chiefly for the precious balm, which was collected 
at Jericho, and was a main article of Jewish ex- 
port. The transit commenced at Capernaum, 
at which place collectors of the duty were regu- 
larly stationed. Justin and Strabo mention that 
this trade was extensively carried on in their 
time. 

Q) There was a Feast of the Jeics.] Upon 
our understanding a Passover to be here meant, 



THE CURE OF THE CRIPPLE AT BETHESDA. 



69 



Jesus went up to Jerusalem to attend it. Now there is at 
Jerusalem by the sheep-market (the sheep-gate, Marg.) 
a pool (8) or public bath, which is called in the Hebrew 
tongue Bethesda (and, being interpreted, signifies the 
House of Mercy), having five porches or cloisters which 
served as receptacles for the bathers. In these lay a great 
multitude of impotent (infirm) folk, — of blind, halt, and 
withered (those wasted with lingering sickness), — waiting for 
the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a 
certain periodical season into the pool, and troubled 
(agitated) the water: whosoever then, after the troubling 
of the water, first stepped in before its medicinal properties 
had subsided, was made whole of whatsoever disease he 
had. 

And a certain man was there which had laboured under 
an incurable infirmity thirty and eight years. When 
Jesus saw him lie thus helpless, and knew that he had 
been now a long time in that distressing case a , He saith ■ When my spirit was 
unto him, Wilt thou be made whole (Is not such thy object ^WteS *y 
in being here) ? The impotent man answered Him, Sir, P ath - Ps - cxlii - 3 - 
I have no man, — -for I can neither hire nor persuade any 
one, — when the water is troubled, to put me into the 
pool; but while I am coming slowly towards it, another 
steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, 
take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately, as He 
spake, the man was made perfectly whole, and, in proof 
that he was so, took up his bed and walked homewards. 

And on the same day when this took place, it was 
the Sabbath. Some of the rulers of the Jews there- 
fore said unto him that was cured, as they met him on 



must depend the received opinion that our Lord's 
ministry extended to more than three years, so 
as to include four Passovers ; for three only are 
distinctly mentioned — namely, at John ii. 13 ; 
vi. 4; xi. 55. The Evangelist here omits the 
Greek Article, which he, with St. Matthew, 
elsewhere uniformly employs when speaking of 
the Passover; but this circumstance is not de- 
cisive, as both St. Mark and St. Luke have 
omitted it. — The ancients considered that our 
Lord's ministry extended only over one year, an 
opinion now almost entirely exploded. A good 
deal of learning has been lately expended to show 
that two years and a-half was the correct period ; 
but that from six to twelve months must be ad- 
ded, is the opinion now generally admitted. 

( 2 ) There is at Jerusalem by the sheep-market, 
a pool.] That one of the city gates was called 
"the Sheep-gate" we know from Nek. iii. 1. 
The same is supposed to have been standing 
when St. John wrote this passage. It was 
very likely to have been saved from the general 
devastation, for the convenience of the Roman 
garrison, by Titus ; who particularly approved the 
public convenience of baths, and afterwards, at 
great cost, built some of a magnificent kind at 
Rome. To this day there are, it is said, at Jeru- 



salem remains of this pool, which, being sunk in 
the rock, may remain for ages. " It is (writes 
the traveller Sandys) a great square profundity, 
into which a barren spring doth trill between 
the stones of the northward wall, and stealeth 
away almost undiscovered." The word here 
rendered "pool," denotes also the buildings 
connected therewith in our Saviour's time for 
the accommodation of bathers, which were por- 
ticoes or piazzas fronting the bath, and forming 
a pentagon. The water of the pool had power- 
ful medicinal properties when agitated, which 
took place at periodical intervals. This agita- 
tion the Jews ascribed, as they did all operations 
of Providence, to the agency of Angels; and, 
undoubtedly, we must conclude, from the narra- 
tive in this place, that the properties of the 
water were supernatural. It is not unreasonable 
to suppose that God, who never altogether de- 
serted His ancient people, was pleased to confer 
healing powers upon this fountain, as typical of 
the Messiah, some time before He was to appear. 
Their prophets, more particularly Zechariah, 
had declared that a True Fountain was to be 
opened for sin and moral uncleanness (Zech, 
xiii. 1). 



70 THE CURE OF THE CRIPPLE AT BETHESDA. 

his way, It is the Sabbath-day; it is not lawful for thee to 
b i saw m Judah some carry thy bed. b (3) He answered them, He that made me 
aiso^ii manSTof S biff- whole, the same person said unto me, Take up thy bed 
dens, which they brought d lk: how cou ^ j disobey such a command ? for 

into Jerusalem on the 9 ' , " 

Sabbath-day ; and I tes- surely he is a prophet, and spoke with the authority of one. 
t^ec ^against t em. . e . they, overlooking the evident miracle ivhich had been 

JtSSSSZ asked him, What man is that,-/or he could be 

Sabbath-day. Jer. xvii. n0 p r0 phet, — which so unlawfully said unto thee, Take up 
thy bed and walk? And he that was healed wist not 
(knew not) who it was; for Jesus, after effecting the cure, 
had conveyed Himself away privately, to prevent tumult — 
a multitude being in that place. 

Afterward Jesus findeth him in the Temple, returning 
thanks to God there for his recovery; and said unto him, 
Behold, by the mercy of God thou art now made whole: 
*■ The last state of that sin no more, (4) lest a worse thing, 0 — either a more grievous 
fi«t. 1S Mat°t xii.^T the affliction here, or certain and eternal punishment hereafter, 
—come unto thee. The man, having ascertained from 
some that stood by who his benefactor was, departed; and, 
anxious to do Him honour, as well as to justify himself, 
went and told the rulers of the Jews that it was Jesus 
which had made him whole. And therefore did the Jews 
persecute Jesus, and sought to slay Him, because He had 
done these things on the Sabbath-day. 
i and My Father are But Jesus, being at length brought before the Sanhedrim, 
° n chrbt h Jesus 3 °bein« in or 9 reat J ew ^ 1 Council of state, on this charge, answered 
the form of God, thought them thus:— My Father worketh hitherto without the in* 

it not robbery to be equal , , . „ , „ , ,,7.7 7 j 

with God. Phil. ii. 5, 6. tervention of rest ; for down to this day and on every day 
* And while the children He sustaineth all things by His continual Providence; and, 
of Israel were in the wii- wnen j w m \ \ n Ufa manner work d in doing good on the 

demess they found a man 7 47 *1 

that gathered sticks upon seventh day. — Therefore the Jews sought yet the more to 

tbe Lord^d^unto Mtte^ kill Him, because He not only had, as they pretended, 

JnttoZ^th^mmhxi broken the Sabbath, e but now blasphemously said also 

33, 35. that God was His own Father, ( 5) making Himself equal 



( 3 ) It is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. J 
The letter of the law forbade carrying the 
lightest weight on the Sabbath : but the Rabbi- 
nical writers recognised cases in which it was 
allowed and they admitted that the observance 
of the Sabbath might be dispensed with at the 
command of a Prophet. Such a character even 
the poor cripple could perceive our Lord to be ; 
and if exceptions to their rule were allowed, how 
much more in the case of Him, to whom " all the 
prophets gave witness," and who was "Lord 
also of the Sabbath." 

( 4 ) Sin no more.] As in the case of the Para- 
lytic (the last miracle recorded), the infirmity of 
this man is declared to be the punishment of his 
sins. So St. Paul tells the Corinthians that a 
sickness, which at the time he wrote was pre- 
valent among them, was a judgment upon their 
sm in irreverently approaching the Lord's Table 
( 1 Cor. xi. 30). — We are not, indeed, to assume 
that all violent disorders are punishments of the 



individual on whom they are visited; for the 
same Apostle tells us that they are often proofs 
of God's fatherly love and regard (Heb. xii. 6) ; 
but still Sin is the original cause of disease and of 
death itself. While, then, we carefully refrain 
from judging others, it is always good in our 
own case to regard bodily (as well as all other) 
afflictions in the light of a summons from God to 
examine our lives and conduct with more than 
usual care and exactness. — God is the Great 
Physician of the soul, Sickness being one of His 
principal methods of cure ; and we learn from the 
narrative before us, that if we neglect such warn- 
ings, " worse things" may come. 

( 5 ) Said also that God was His Father.] This 
passage is enfeebled in our translation by the 
omission of " own," which is plainly given in 
the original. — The Jews, who were the best 
interpreters of the meaning of their lan- 
guage, evidently considered that the name, 
assumed by our Lord, of Son of God, and calling 



JESUS MAKES HIS DEFENCE BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM. 



71 



in nature with God. f — Then answered Jesus and said f He that biasphemeth 

, tr m -i t j mi fN the name of the Lord he 

unto them, verily, verily, 1 say unto you, Ihe Son, as s h a ii surely he put to 
Mediator, can do nothing of Himself alone, or in opposition death> Lev - XXIV - 16 - 
to the Father, but only what He seeth the Father also do: * There came a Voice 

from heaven, saying, Ihou 

for what things soever He (the Father) doeth m the course art My beloved Son, in 
of His government, these also doeth the Son likewise. Mark i? il weU pleased " 
For the Father loveth the Sons, and sheweth Him by the h And the Lord heard 
Spirit all things without concealment that Himself doeth. the voice of Elijah, and 

. , TT «n i 7 • /> xt* i the soul of the child came 

And He will shew and manifest by Him greater worKS into him again, and he re- 
than these of healing infirm and sick people, that ye may vlv ^ d x Y ^ajek 

at least marvel, if not believe. For as the Father raiseth unto the Lord. And the 

child opened his eyes. 

up the dead and quickeneth (reanimates) them," even so, — 2 Kings iv. 33, 35. 
by the same authority and Almighty power inherent in \ And Jesus said, Young 
Himself— the Son quickeneth whom He will; both raising S^And hTthattS 
the dead} and conferring spiritual and eternal life. k And dead sanip and by™ 10 
the great gift of Eternal Life will ultimately depend on the And He took her by 
Son; for the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed S; ha M aid a , nd arT^ d ITd 
all judgment, final and irreversible, unto the Son, 1 — thus her s P irit came a 8 ain - 

. . * * Luke viii. 54, 55. 

resigning authority to Him even in that last divine work: And He cried with a 

and this He hath done that all men should give divine l Z^l^tTZ£7L 

honour to the Son by their spiritual worship and obedience, dead^came forth. John 
even as (to the same extent and in the same manner as) 

they honour the Father. < 6 ) He that honoureth not the resur^ction^and the life* 

Son to this extent, honoureth not the Father which hath hew^de^et 

sent Him. m — Verilv, verily, I say unto you, He that sha11 he live < and whoso- 

jy, , „ ttt i /-»jr 7 • v i it ever liveth and believeth 

effectually neareth My Word (My doctrine), and so beiiev- in Me shall never die. 
eth on Him that sent Me, < 7 > hath the promise of ever- Joh ^ ^given Him 

power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. John xvii. 2. — The 
last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 1 Cor. xv. 45. 

1 He hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath 
ordained. Acts xvii. 31. — We must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, 2 Cor, v. 10. 

™ Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father. 1 John ii. 23. 



God His own Father, implied an equality with 
God. It is clear that our Saviour meant to be 
understood as claiming Divinity, for on a subse- 
quent occasion He did not deny the correctness 
of their interpretation (John x. 29—38). — 
Throughout this sublime Defence, we have an 
instance of the profound and masterly manner in 
which He could meet and silence His enemies ; 
while it is scarcely possible to conceive more dis- 
tinct declarations, or more conclusive proofs, that 
He was equal with God, and that the same will, 
plan, and power existed in both. He styles 
Himself, indeed, the Son of man, but He applies 
that designation of Daniel (ch. vii. 13) to Him- 
self on this occasion, as on others, purposely to 
show how He had divested Himself of glory (see 
Section XX., Note 9). 

( 6 ) That all men should honour the Son even as 
they honour the Father. ] A man of common un- 
derstanding, with no preconceived opinions on 
disputed points of theology, could not put any 
other interpretation on these words than that 
which lies on the surface — namely, that the Son 
is to be believed in, and loved, and worshipped 
equally with the Father. We only then honour 
the Son, when we esteem Him to be, as He is, 
the brightness of the Father's glory, and the 



express image of His Person (Heb. i. 3) ; as- 
signing to Him perfect Goodness, Wisdom, and 
Omnipresence, with every other divine attribute. 
— When the Apostle tells us, that every tongue 
is to confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, 
he expressly adds, that it is " to the glory of 
God the Father" (Phil. ii. 11). To deny the 
Divinity of Christ, involves the crime of Atheism, 
for it makes out God to be a liar (as the beloved 
Apostle elsewhere shows), by disbelieving the tes- 
timony which He has so abundantly given of 
His Son (1 John v. 10).— The heathen Pliny, in 
his letter to the Emperor Trajan, has described 
the primitive Christians as " meeting together 
to sing hymns to Christ, as God." 

{"') Believeth on Him that sent Me.] Here 
faith in God, as sending His Son, is plainly con- 
nected with eternal life. Indeed, the Father 
holds, as it were, no intercourse with man 
otherwise than by the agency of the Son, who by 
His immediate action upon the external world, 
gives effect to the original purposes of the Divine 
mind. The appointment of Christ to His office 
as Mediator, which has given rise to so many 
cavils, can no more imply inferiority of nature, 
than could be argued from a man performing a 
particular work in his relation of a son. 



72 JESUS MAKES HIS DEFENCE BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM. 

lasting life; and if he continueth faithful in well-doing, shall 
n He that beiievetii not no t come into that condemnation 11 in which he was by 

is condemned already. , . ••711 

JohniiLis. nature, but is already passed over from spiritual death 

* We know that we unto Christian life. 0 Verily, verily, I say unto you, the 

have passed from death . x. « , . 7 7.7 

unto life. 1 John in. 14. hour (the time) is coming, under the more complete deve- 
lopement of the Gospel, and even now is commenced, when 
the dead in trespasses and sins shall hear the voice of the 
Son of God ; (8) and they that hear shall live (shall have 
spiritual life). For as the Father, the Source of all life, 
hath the power of conferring life in Himself, so hath He 
given to the Son, as Mediator, to have power over life, 
both natural and spiritual, in Himself; ^ and hath also 
given Him that other high authority to execute (to hold) 
final Judgment over the world in completion of His Media- 
torial office, because He is the Son of man and has fully 
known what human infirmities are: 
p Thy dead men shall Marvel not at this as an incredible thing; for the hour 

live: together with My . . . t „ " . 

dead body shall they is assuredly coming, m the which all that are m the graves 
^The ^ead^shan be snau near His (the Messiah's) voice, and shall come forth 
raised incorruptible. 1 w n a fj ie i r 00( a es; v they that have done good unto the 

Cor. xv. 52. * 0 

resurrection of life, 0 ' and they that have done evil unto the 

9 Thou shalt be recom- . 1 . *L . 

pensed at the resurrection resurrection oi damnation. 1 1 ; But 1 tell you again, 1 can 
ot the just. Luke xiv. 14. Q £ ^ine own se jf ? — considered merely as man, and ivithout 

tilt sleep hT&JduL Sail concurrence of the Father, — do nothing: As I hear, I 
awake, some to everiast- judge (I am to judge and pass sentence), and therefore Mv 

ing life, and some to shame , , A . , ., .. , .. , , T , 

and everlasting contempt, judgment is just; ana it is also just, because 1 seek not 

r>aR - 2 - Mine own separate will, or any of those private ends which 

will \) God ht Ps^i 1 ? 7 human judges sometimes seek, but the perfect and con- 

o My Father, not as current will of the Father which hath sent Me. s — If I 

I will, but as Thou wilt. 7 i_ •> c -kit • 7 . 77 

Matt. xxvi. 39. alone bear witness of Myself, you might reasonably urge 

* it is written in your ^at My witness is not to be at once received as true, 
law, that the testimony of an d demanding implicit credit: there is however another.* 

two men is true. John •11 i • 

vhi. 17. even John the Baptist, that beareth witness of Me; and I 

u The Jews sent priests knOW that the witness which he witnesseth of Me is true, 
lem toask johTwho^t an( ^ mus ^ oe received as such by every honest mind, for he 
thou? John i. 19. wa s unquestionably a Prophet sent from God. Ye sent of 
v John seeth Jesus com- your own accord unto John, u and he distinctly and repeat- 
Behoid^h?Lamb d of S G^d e ^V bare witness unto the Truth, v proclaiming Me to be 
sin 1 of th^worid^^John ^ Messiah: now, according to your own principles, He to 
?• 29 - whom a prophet gives witness, is to be accounted at least as a 



(°) The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of 
God.'] This may also literally refer to the raising 
<>f Lazarus and others from the dead, and to the 
bodies of those saints who appeared after our 
Lord's resurrection (Matt, xxvii. 52, 53). 

( 9 ) To have life in Himself.] No other mes- 
senger from God is represented in Scripture with 
such inherent power as this. Under the Old 
Covenant the prophets perform all their miracles 
in the name of God, while the Apostles invariably 
call upon the name of Jesus of Nazareth (see Acts 



iii. 6; xvi. 18). But when the Saviour Himself 
c alls back the soul to its deserted clay, He speaks 
in His own name, in right of power essentially 
inherent in Himself (see Mark v. 41 ; Luke vii. 
14; Johnxi. 43). 

( 10 ) And they that have done evil, ^ c] The 
Pharisees held that the just alone were to rise, 
the wicked being excluded from any resurrection. 
Our Lord fearlessly declares the whole truth, in 
opposition to their doctrine, 



JESUS MAKES HIS DEFENCE BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM. 73 

Prophet. But I receive not testimony from man only, and 
would not rest the chief evidence of My mission upon human, 
and therefore fallible witness; but these undeniable things 
I say respecting John, that, remembering his warning and 
for your own sakes receiving Me as he enjoined, ye might 
still be saved. He was a burning and a shining light, (1 1} 
— that predicted light which, like the bright morning star, 
was to precede the coming Sun of Righteousness ; — and for a 
short season, until he so sharply reproved your vices, ye were 
yourselves willing to rejoice in his light: but I have far 
greater and more decisive witness of My mission than that 
of John; for the works which the Father hath given Me to 
finish, the same works that I do, bear evident witness of 

Me, that the Father hath sent Me. w And moreover the w if W e receive the wit- 

Father Himself, which hath sent Me, hath expressly and of S God T g^ter^S 

in the most direct manner borne witness of Me x at My this is the witness of God 

7 . , 11 tt* • j which He hath testified of 

baptism, although ye have neither heard His voice at any His Son. 1 John v. 9. 

time nor seen His shape/ for no man could see the Father * There came a Voice 

and live. — In the Scriptures also are His testimonies of Me J™^ ^® a ^ Gloved 

plainly declared: and ye have not that, His revealed Word, son, in whom i am well 

T7 7 7* 77 i • l- • 7 pleased. Mark i. 11. 

fully and cordially abiding m you, or producing a corres- The Father that sent 

ponding effect upon your conduct ; for whom He hath now JJ® b jth e n vi^iT^ ° f 

sent, according to the plain predictions of that Word, Him ^ T , , 

m J . 9 r No man hath seen 

ye believe not. Ye search the Scriptures it is true, for in God at any time, l John 

them ye rightly think ^ {judge) that ye have the words of 1V ' 12 * 
Eternal Life, to be attained by observance of what they teach; 
and they are they {those are the very Scriptures) which 

plainly and repeatedly testify of Me. z And notwithstanding t Begiimin „ at Moses 

this, — so great is your wilful obstinacy, — ye will not come and ail the prophets, He 

to Me a as the Saviour, that ye might have the Life there a?°Sie de scrTpnires em tne 

freely offered for your acceptance. ^lZ'^S^' 

Although I invite you to come to Me, I receive not We have found Him of 

. » , ./»••• whom Moses in the Law, 

honour irom men ; D and you have no pretence for rejecting and the Prophets did 

Me on that ground. As a true Prophet, seeking only God's ^^Zm^IoCI 

glory, I desire neither human sanction nor applause: but 45 - 

I know you well, and the true reason of your unbelief is a Light is come into 

this; that ye have not really the love of God in you, though darkness ' rather than 

affecting to be so jealous of His honour. I am come to you ^^ll^^Tt 

in My Father's name, brinqinq undeniable proofs of My . „ . , . 

J t a a jr t/ v «7 d ]\f or G f men sought we 

high authority, and yet ye receive Me not: if another and glory. lThess.n. 6. 



( u ) He was a burning and a shining light.] 
That this was a metaphor for a zealous and en- 
lightened teacher, appears from Scripture (see 
Rom. ii. 19) ; aud also from Jewish writings in 
general, in which such persons are called " a 
lamp," "the candle of the law," &c. — Our Lord 
speaks here of John in the past tense, because 
he was now in prison, and his ministry had 
closed. That the Baptist's popularity was, as He 
goes on to state, short-lived, appears from their 
so soon after declaring that he had a devil 
(Luke vii. 33). 



( I2 ) Ye think.] The verb in the original 
sometimes, as here, expresses not an uncertain 
opinion, but conviction and knowledge. It is 
so used by Xenophon (Cyropted., at the end of 
the Procem). St. Paul employs it to express 
certainty, 1 Cor. iv. 9 ; vii. 40, and elsewhere. 
It occurs also in the Greek at Mark x. 42, 
where those " who are accounted to rule," are 
those who actually rule; and at Luke viii. 18, 
where what a man " seemeth to have," is that 
which he hath, — as is evident from the parallel 
place (Mark iv. 25). 



74 JESUS MAKES HIS DEFENCE BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM. 

« They (the chief m- a f aise Messiah shall come in his own name,— proposing 

lers) loved the praise of some scheme of temporal grandeur, without exhibiting any 

men more than the praise /»/>?•• • , . 

of God. John xh. 43. proofs oj a divine commission, — him ye will gladly re- 
to e^manAtfwoXlh ceive > (13) following his teaching and slavishly obeying his 
good. Rom. ii. 5, 6, io. commands. But truly, how can ye believe in Me and become 
d As many as have sin- spiritual-minded, which, in worldly spirit and with a pre- 

ned in the Law, shall he .,. ,. ,., . . , „ ~Z 

judged by the Law. Rom. vailing bias the other way, receive honour one of another, 
*' 12 ' and seek not the honour which cometh from the appro- 

depa^from^dah^nora bation °f Gof * on ly? c — Do not judge of Me by your- 
lawgiver from between his selves, and think that I am your enemy, or will accuse you 
and unto Him ^haii^e to tne Father: it is your welfare and salvation that I 
Gen. e xhl1o iei)eoplebe ' desire: nor is ^ needful even for the ends of justice that I 
The Lord thy God win should become your accuser; there is already one that 

raise up unto thee a Pro- , •, , . 

phet, from the midst of accuse tn you, — even Moses, 0 — your own Lawgiver, in 

M^J^^Es whom y Q P r °f ess to trust 5 for had y Q reall v believed and 

ye hearken. Deut. xvhi. confided in the authority of Moses, ye would also have 
^ believed Me, for he wrote plainly of Me. e But if ye 

and^e^rophet^ ndther Relieve not his writings, for which ye pretend such rever- 

^ug^oL^fromAe mce > how > with y° ur obstinat€ prejudices against Me, shall 
dead. Luke xvi 31. ye believe My words ? f 



SECTION XXXVII. 

The disciples pluck ears of corn on a Sabbath-day: Jesus 
justifies them, and declares hlmself lord of the sabbath. 

Matt. xii. 1—8. Mark ii. 23—28. Luke vi. 1—5. 

AND it came to pass at that time, on the second Sabbath 
after the first M (on what was called the second prime 
Sabbath), that Jesus went through the corn-fields. And 
His disciples were an hungred ; and, as they went, began to 
« when thou comest pluck the ears of corn, which the Law generally permitted, 

into the standing corn of i i i • ^.-l • i_ j j • l /> 17 Q 

thy neighbour, then thou ana - ruobmg them m their hands, did eat of the grain.* 
mayest V^k the ears g ut w h en certani 0 f the Pharisees saw it, they said 

with mine hand; but thou m J 

shait not move a sickle unto Him, Behold (See), Thy disciples do [the Phari- 
s^din^cornT^Deut! sees said unto them, Why do ye ? Luke] that which it 
xxMi - 25 - is not lawful to do on the Sabbath-days.W And Jesus 



( 13 ) If another shall come in his own name, 
<$[c. ] Subsequent to this, as Josephus records, the 
Jews followed several false Messiahs, who artfully 
accommodated themselves to the carnal expecta- 
tions of the Jews. Such was Barchocheba, who 
was at last put to death, when they discovered 
that he had not that essential token of the true 
Messiah, which our Lord so often manifested, the 
power to read the thoughts. 

( ] ) On the second Sabbath after the first.] 
This Sabbath, which was the day immediately 
succeeding that on which the Passover was eaten, 
was called Deuteroprote — a somewhat obscure 
expression; but it appears that on this great 



festival a sheaf of barley, called the Wave-sheaf, 
was offered up as the first fruits of the harvest ; 
and from this day, instead of from the first of the 
Passover, the seven weeks or Sabbaths were 
reckoned to the day of Pentecost (see Lev. xxiii. 
10, 11, 15, 16). 

( 2 ) Which it is not lawful to do on the Sabbath" 
days.] Moses himself, in granting the permis- 
sion to pluck ears of corn, had made no distinc- 
tion of days, but rather, at Exod. xii. 1 6, shews 
the spirit of his legislation by making an excep- 
tion in cases of necessity like the present : " In 
the seventh day no manner of work shall be done, 
save that which every man must eat, that only 
may be done of you.' ; 



THE DISCIPLES JUSTIFIED IN PLUCKING CORN ON THE SABBATH. 7$ 

answering said unto them, Have ye never read so much 
as this, — which is a case parallel ta the present, — what 
David with his followers did, when, in the flight from Saul, 
he had need and was an hungred, he and also they which 
were with him ?— how he entered into the Priesfs tent by 
the House of God, in the days of Abiathar, afterwards the 
High-Priest, and did take and eat the shew-bread, b ^ and b So the priest gave 

° . . . i • i_ z. j David hallowed bread, for 

gave also to them which were with him ; which oread, there was no bread but 

according to the strict letter of the Law, it was not lawful "Tom^eforf a£ 

for him to eat, neither for them, but for the priests alone. c Lord - 1 Sam - ^ 6 - 

Or have ye not read in the Law, how that on the Sabbath- e ^And the bread shall 

days the very priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath (4) they shall eat it in the 

according to your notions ofprofanation ; for they violate the ho1 ? P lace - Lev - ™ v - 9 - 

strict Sabbatical rest by slaying and preparing the sacrifices, 

as well as by personally attending to other servile offices ; and 

yet, as serving God, are justly accounted blameless. You will 

perhaps tell Me that neither I nor my disciples are priests, 

and that the act which you have condemned was not needful 

for the honour of God: but I say unto you, That in 

this place is One greater than the Temple, d and of more a Behold, the heaven of 

importance than all its services; even One who can dispense, SeThow^ch le^thS 

when He will, with ritual observances, and whose servants, House which i have built! 

' ' 7 2 Chron. vi. 18. 

engaged in a necessary work of the highest mercy, may have 
at least equal liberty with the priests under the Law. But 
if ye had known what this scripture meaneth, I will, 
have mercy, and not sacrifice only (See Hos. vi. 6), 
ye would not thus harshly have condemned the guiltless. 

And He said unto them, The Sabbath was made for 
the welfare and happiness o/man; (5) and not man, who was 
created first, for the Sabbath. e Therefore also the Son of e Let no man therefore 
man is Lord even of the Sabbath-day: He gave it its J s u a tf a Siay S ? Cd! Sl u. 
original sanctity, and can dispense with its strict rest when 
He may judge it needful for the good of mankind. 



(3) The shew-bread.] This "Bread of the 
Presence," as it was also called, consisted of 
twelve loaves, according to the twelve tribes. 
The Law commanded that it should be placed 
before the Lord on the golden Table in the 
Sanctuary : this was done every Sabbath-day ; 
the loaves which had remained during the week 
being then changed, and eaten by the priests 
alone (see Lev. xxiv. 5 — 9). It was probably 
on the Sabbath-day that David ate of the shew- 
bread, since he ate of what had been taken away. 

( 4 ) The priests in the Temple profane the Sab- 
bath.] The argument here is, that the rigid ob- 
servance of the Sabbath (for which the Pharisees 
would contend) was impracticable ; for even the 
Temple-service must have ceased on that day, 
unless the priests were allowed to kill and dress 
the two lambs, then additionally required for 
sacrifice (Numb, xxviii. 9). To do this, they 
must kindle a fire ; an act which, according to the 
letter of the Law, was forbidden on the Sabbath 



(Exod. xxxv. 3). The Jews also did not hesitate 
to circumcise on the eighth day, if it fell upon a 
Sabbath (John vii. 22). 

( 5 ) The Sabbath was made for man.] Thus, ac- 
cording to the highest authority, the plain principle 
which ought to regulate observance of the Sab- 
bath, is the benefit — the real good — of mankind. 
It was made — it was a positive institution. Insti- 
tuted religion was never intended to undermine 
Natural ; and as this appointment of the Sabbath 
was a merciful one, it must clearly be subordi- 
nate to its purposes, and is not to be interpreted 
as making requirements that set aside considera- 
tions of mercy. There were some enlightened 
Jews, who could perceive that the Sabbath was 
not to be observed with slavish minuteness, as 
appears from the following maxim, so closely 
resembling our Saviour's : — "Servate Sabbatum, 
quia sanctum vobis : vobis Sabbatum traditum 
est, et non vos traditi estis Sabbato.^ 



76 



SECTION XXXVIII. 

The cure of a man with a withered hand on another 

Sabbath-day. 

Matt. xii. 9—15. Mark iii. 1—6. Luke vi. 6—11. 

AND when He was departed thence (from the town near 
to which the disciples had plucked the ears of corn), it 
came to pass also on another Sabbath that He entered 
again into their synagogue at Capernaum and taught. 
And behold there was a man there whose right hand was 
withered — the sinews being so shrunk that it vjas ren- 
dered entirely useless. 

And the Scribes and Pharisees insidiously watched 
<» The wicked watcheth Him a to see whether He would again heal on the Sab- 

the righteous, and seek- i t, , . 7 . j , 7 . 7 

eth to slay him. Ps. bath-day. But their malice rendering them impatient, and 
xxxvii. 32. hoping that they might at once find an accusation against 

Him, they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the 
Sabbath-days ? 

But He well knew their thoughts and malicious intent, 
and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise 
up from thy seat, and stand forth in the midst of the con- 
gregation. And he arose and stood forth. Then said 
Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing by way of 
answer to your question : Is it lawful on the Sabbath-days 
to do good, or to do evil to save life, — as I should do by 
enabling this man to obtain a livelihood; or to destroy it [to 
kill, Mark], — as you are even now plotting against Me to do ? 

But they, unable or unwilling to give Him any answer, 
held their peace. And He said again unto them, What 
man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep 
(a sheep), and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath-day, will 
he not at once lay hold on it, and lift it out ? Consider 
then how much is a man better than a sheep : of how much 
greater moment is the welfare of a rational creature, made 
in the image of God, for whom the Messiah is to die, and 
fitted to live through all eternity ! Wherefore it evidently 
is lawful and agreeable to the will of God to do well on the 
Sabbath-days. ( 2 ) 



(' ) To do good or to do evil ?] From this ques- 
tion of our Lord in reference to the case before 
Him, it may justly be deduced as a standing 
principle of Christian morals, that omitting to do 
the good which we have opportunity and power 
to do, is in a certain degree doing evil. The 
ability to do good imposes the obligation. Accord- 
ingly, the wicked will be condemned in the Day of 
Judgment because they omitted acts of mercy 
and charity (Matt. xxv. 45). 

( 2 ) It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath-days.'] 
Our Lord here decides in opposition to one of their 
great Schools (that of Shammai), which laid 



down the rule, " that no one should console the 
sick or visit the mourner on the Sabbath-day." 
The case put in this Section, taken with that in 
the preceding, sums up what may lawfully be 
done on the Sabbath : that was a case of neces- 
sity, this is a case of mercy ; and whenever the 
peculiar and appropriate duties of the day really 
interfere with such works, we need not scruple 
to give our attention to the latter. The Sab- 
bath is also a feast, not a fast ; yet we must 
bear in mind that nothing will justify laxity, 
either in our own case, or as it interferes with 
others. Our Lord's example, when He was 



CURE OF A MAN WITH A WITHERED HAND. 



77 



And when He had looked round about upon them all 
with anger (with holy indignation) , being grieved for the 
hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, Stretch 
forth thine hand. (3) And he, endeavouring to do so in faith, 
immediately obtained the power, and stretched forth nis 
hand ; and his right hand was restored whole (sound and 
strong) like as the other. 

And the Pharisees were filled with madness at the 
complete defeat which they had sustained, and went forth and 
communed one with another what injury they might next do 
with success to Jesus. And straightway they took counsel 
with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy 
Him/ 4 ) — notwithstanding the differences which they had 
with that party both in their civil and religious views. 

But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew Himself from 
thence. 

SECTION XXXIX, 

Jesus retires to the other side of the Lake, whither multitudes 
follow Him, and He heals many. 

Matt xii. 15—21. Mark iii. 7—12. Luke vi. 17—19. 

JESUS, together with the company of His disciples, 
now withdrew Himself from the reach of the Pharisees 
to the other side of the sea of Galilee — thus quitting the 
dominions of Herod Antipas on the west coast for those of 
Philip on the east. And great multitudes of people from 
Galilee followed Him ; and also from the south, out of all 
Judea and Jerusalem, and from Idumea; (1 ) and from be- 
yond (from the eastern side of) Jordan; and they of the 



pleased to dispense with a strict observance of 
the Sabbath, cannot be pleaded by us, who are 
not, like Him, Lord of the Sabbath. We must 
want spiritual discernment very much not to per- 
ceive that this holy day is a blessed institution to 
the soul, as well as for our temporal good, — that 
it is an important means of grace ; and if men 
would but try to follow the Prophet's direction of 
not doing their own ways, nor finding their own 
pleasure, nor speaking their own words on God's 
Day, however irksome they might find it for a 
time, they would be sure in the end to find it " a 
delight" and they would rejoice in its return 
(see Isa. lviii. 13, 14). 

( 3 ) Stretch forth thine hand.] They could 
scarcely, with all their malice, construe so sim- 
ple an act as the one here directed by Jesus, 
into an infraction of the Sabbath. We may 
observe, that as the ability to put forth his 
contracted limb was the very power this poor 
man wanted, and in endeavouring to obey the com- 
mand he obtained it ; so in the moral world, God 
will give strength to those who have the disposi- 
tion to do His will, and who in earnest set about 
it. Whatever He has commanded us to do, He 
has likewise promised to help us in the perfor- 



mance of it, and has promised success. Com- 
pare Ezek. xviii. 31 with Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 

( 4 ) The Herodians.'] The Herodians are men- 
tioned three times by St. Mark, and only once by 
another Evangelist (St. Matthew). They appear 
to have been a political party ; either being advo- 
cates for keeping the country in subjection to the 
Romans according to the policy of Herod the 
Great, or else partisans of his son Herod Antipas, 
with the view of preserving the succession in that 
family. — The Herodians consisted chiefly of Sad- 
ducees, and contended against the Pharisees for 
payment of the tribute. What Matthew calls the 
" leaven of the Sadducees,"" Mark, in the parallel 
place, describes as the " leaven of Herod " (com- 
pare Matt. xvi. 6, and Mark viii. 15). 

(*) Idumea.] This country, which lay below 
Judea, was formerly inhabited by the Edomites, 
descendants of Esau who settled there (Gen. 
xxv. 30). During the Captivity they spread 
themselves into Judea, and became occupiers of 
a considerable part of it ; and being afterwards 
conquered by the Maccabees, they became yet 
more incorporated with the Jews. Herod the 
Great sprang from this people. 



78 



JESUS RETIRES TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE. 



Jewish faith who lived further north about the sea-coast 
[the maritime country) of Tyre and Sidon, (2) — all which, 
when they heard what great things He did, came to hear 
Him, and to be healed of their diseases; and they too 
came that were vexed {tormented) with unclean spirits; 
and they were, all of them, healed. 

And He spake to (directed) His disciples that a small 
ship (a boat) should wait on Him, because of the vast 
multitude assembled, — lest they should throng Him: for 
He had already healed many, insomuch that the whole 
multitude of as many as had plagues (distempers either of 
mind or body), pressed upon Him and sought to touch 
Him ; for there went virtue (healing power) out of Him, (3 > 
and healed them all who were able to touch Him. And 
those possessed with unclean spirits, when they saw Him, 
fell down before Him; and the spirits cried, saying, Thou 
art the Son of God — the Messiah. 

And He straitly (strictly) charged them that they 
should not make Him known; for He was not desirous of 
popular applause, and knew that if the Pharisees should 
hear of these extraordinary cures, they would be further 
instigated to premature designs against Him, 

And all this was done that it might be fulfilled which 
was spoken of Him by Esaias the prophet, saying, Be- 
a He took upon Him hold My Servant^ (Him ivho is come to execute the 
the ^L%r e V uke n a ess Divine mu in the form of a servant) whom I have 



was 



of men. Phil. ii. 7. chosen to redeem My people; My beloved in whom 

Then said He, Lol . _ _ 

come to do thy will, O MY SOUL IS WELL PLEASED . 1 WILL PUT MY SPIRIT 
God. Heb. x. 9. UPON HlM, AND He SHALL SHEW JUDGMENT (He shall 

froL htvL!^g7S P uUish the TrutJl md LaW °f tke G0S Pet) TO THE GEN- 
is^ My^ beloved^ Son, in TILES. He SHALL NOT STRIVE NOR CRY (He will 

Mark i. 11. neither be contentious nor utter the clamour that attends 

Strife)', NEITHER SHALL ANY MAN HEAR HlS VOICE 

ostentatiously seeking publicity in the streets. Even a 



( 2 ) Tyre and Sidon.] These were cities of 
Phoenicia, a country adjoining Galilee, and 
lying along the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. 
The inhabitants were notorious for their pride 
and contempt of religion, as well as famed for 
their splendour and extensive commerce. They 
are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament 
(see Isa. xxiii. and Ezek. xxviii). — Those who 
followed our Lord on this occasion were Jews 
who dwelt on the confines of these cities. 

( 3 ) There went virtue out of Him.] It is evi- 
dent that the extraordinary power which wrought 
these cures resided essentially and inherently 
in Jesus, for He declares that the Father dwelt 
in Him and He in the Father (John xiv. 10). 
This is never said of any of the Prophets, or 
even of the Apostles; for though the sick were 
cured by handkerchiefs brought from Paul's 
body, the miracle on that occasion is specially 
ascribed to God (Acts xix. 11). 

( 4 ) Behold My Servant, fyc] The words here 



cited do not exactly agree with our version of 
Isaiah, but the sense is throughout the same. — 
The Jews had expected a conqueror in their 
Messiah, but St. Matthew here shews how Jesus 
had fulfilled this and other prophecies under a 
totally different character : He was to be peace- 
ful and retiring; not resorting to violence or 
oppressing the feeble, but rather employing the 
mildest means of establishing His kingdom. 
The images of the "bruised reed" and " smoking 
flax" were proverbial, importing great weakness 
and almost-expiring debility ; or, spiritually un- 
derstood, profound humility and contrition. — In 
Isaiah the concluding words are, " And the isles 
shall wait for Thy Law," which convey precisely 
the same idea as those employed by the Evan- 
gelist; for by "the isles," those countries west of 
Judea were particularly meant, and in an ex- 
tended sense, the most distant and barbarous 
nations were to seek for Salvation through 
Christ. 



THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE APPOINTED. 



79 



BRUISED REED SHALL He NOT BREAK, AND SMOKING 

flax {the lamp's expiring %vick) shall He not quench, 
till He send forth judgment unto victory — not 
oppressing but rather cherishing the feeble until He make 
the Gospel victorious over all its enemies. And in His 
name {in Him) shall the Gentiles trust for Sal- 
vation {see Isa. xlii. 1 — 4). 



SECTION XL. 
The twelve Apostles are appointed. 
Matt. x. 2—4. Mark iii. 13—19. Luke vi. 12— 1?. 



1 ND it came to pass in those days that He goeth up 
±\. [He went out, Luke] into a mountain to pray; and 
continued all night in a house of prayer {an Oratory, Gr.) 
devoted to God,^ engaged there in holy meditation ; for He 
desired His Father's special blessing and concurrence in 
the choice of fit persons to aid and succeed Him in the 
work of the Gospel. 

And when it was day, He called unto Him His disci- 
ples, whom He would {whom He chose), and they came 
unto Him. And from the mass of them He chose and 
ordained a twelve, whom also He named Apostles, (2 > that * \ e h f e u not c J osen 

. . . -™e, fr ut I have chosen 

they should thenceforth be regularly with Him ; so as more you, and ordained you 
fully to receive His doctrine and contemplate His example, Eg forth h fmit, and that 
and that they might become His competent witnesses here- j^ur fruiuhouid remain. 
after : And He appointed them at once to the Apostolic office, They ordained them 
that He might send them forth, as occasion might require, IctTxiv^s™ 17 L mc 
to preach, and to have power through Him to heal sick- 
nesses and to cast out devils. 

Now the names of the twelve Apostles are these : the 
first in order, Simon, (3) whom He had surnamed [who is 



(*) In prayer to God.] The original here 
refers to one of those small houses of prayer, 
called Proseuchce, which stood without the walls 
of cities, and usually on the banks of rivers : they 
were open at the top, and planted around with 
trees. The main sense however of this passage, 
referring to our Lord seeking by Prayer the concur- 
rence of the Father on this important occasion, is 
not altered. At John xvii. 6, 9, 12, the Apostles 
are said to have been given ; and St. Peter says 
they were " chosen of God" (Acts x. 41). 

( 2 ) Whom also He named Apostles.] This 
expression properly signifies one sent by another • 
and accordingly, the Saviour as sent by the 
Father (John xx. 21) is also called, — though of 
course in a much higher sense, — an Apostle (Heb. 
iii. I). The number of the Apostles seems to 
have reference to God's design of gathering into 
the fold His ancient people, and it was promised 
that they should sit on twelve thrones, judging the 
twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. xix. 28). — They 
were all Galileans, several being natives of the 



same town, Bethsaida ; and some of them were 
relations. They are arranged in pairs in this 
catalogue, probably because they were afterwards 
sent out "two and two;" some of the brethren, 
Andrew and Simon, James and John, were 
called in that order. 

( 3 ) The first, Simon.] St. Peter, together with 
Andrew his younger brother, may be named first, 
because they were the first who acknowledged 
Christ. It does not appear that Peter is placed 
first in dignity. The Evangelists observe a dif- 
ferent order in their lists; St. John and St. Mat- 
thew being preceded by less eminent Apostles, 
perhaps for the very purpose that we may not 
assign pre-eminence to any. Three of them, 
namely the brothers James and John, with Simon, 
were especially confided in by our Lord on marked 
occasions ; but still their equality with one ano- 
ther and with the rest, was plainly declared by 
Him when He had occasion to reprove them, 
and when He so pointedly declared them all to 
be brethren (see Matt, xx., 26, 27; xxiii. 8). 



80 



THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE APPOINTED. 



called, Matt.] also Peter, and Andrew (4) his brother ; and 
James the elder son of Zebedee, and John his brother/ 5 ) 
and He surnamed them Boanerges, — which is, being inter- 
preted, the sons of Thunder ; b Philip (6) and Bartholomew ; (7) 
Thomas (8) and Matthew (9) the publican ; James, the son 
of Alpheus ( 10) or Cleophas, and Lebbseus/ 11 ) whose sur- 
name was Thaddeus, otherwise called Judas or Jude, the 
brother of James ; c Simon the Canaanite, (1 ' 2) being a third 
c jude, the brother of brother, who was called also Zelotes d (the Zealot), and 

mes. Jude 1. ' ■ 7 t v JJ 

Judas Iscariot ( 3) {of Carioth), who also was the traitor and 
Acts betrayed Him {delivered Him up). And He came down 
from the mountain with them, and stood in the plain. 



b Thus saith the Lord 
of hosts, I will shake the 
heavens and the earth; 
and I will shake all na- 
tions, and the Desire of 
all nations shall corne. 
Hag. ii. 6, 7. 



d Simon Zelotee 
i. 13. 



It appears from the subsequent history of their 
proceedings, that James, the son of Alpheus, 
presided at the Council held at Jerusalem 
(Acts xv. 13, 19), and not Peter ; while on a 
subsequent occasion, Paul " withstood him to the 
face" (Gal. ii. 11). — Yet Peter was a truly 
remarkable and highly distinguished Apostle. 
His character need not now be particularized, as 
it will be gradually developed in the course of 
the Gospel narrative. For his history subse- 
quent to the Ascension of Christ, see Section 
CXXXVIIL, Note 6. 

( 4 ) Andrew.'] This Apostle, like his brother 
Simon, was a fisherman ; and probably the younger, 
being named after him, although the first-called. 
He seems to have been characterized by deep 
thoughtfulness and for presence of mind on seve- 
ral important occasions — as when the miracle 
of the Loaves was performed, when the Greeks 
were desirous to see Jesus, and in drawing from 
our Lord the description of the last Judgment, on 
which occasion he was admitted into confidence 
with the other favoured three. He is said to 
have preached the Gospel iu Scythia, and to have 
suffered martyrdom by crucifixion in Achaia. 

( 5 ) James the son of Zebedee, and John his 
brother.] For an account of these distinguished 
Apostles, see Section XXX., Notes 3 & 4. — 
The name here given them of Boanerges, pro- 
phetically represented the resolution and courage 
with which they would preach the Gospel ; a cha- 
racter which they both nobly answered, their 
Evangelical voices shaking, as it were like thun- 
der, the earth. St. Paul applies the words of the 
prophet Haggai (see in the Margin above), — 
a prophecy to which our Lord probably alluded, 
— to the great alteration made by the pub- 
lication of the Gospel (Heb. xii. 25, 26). Basil 
describes St. John as "sounding forth, as a 
son of thunder, things higher than any intellect 
can fully comprehend, and by a certain peculiar 
majesty of speech bringing, as it were out of the 
clouds and enigmas of wisdom, a devout know- 
ledge of the Son of God.'' — The zealous temper 
of both these brothers is strikingly exhibited in 
the Gospels (see Mark ix. 38; Luke ix. 54). 
It may be worth while adding, that the title 
" Sons of thunder " cannot be thought strained, 
since it has some precedent in classical writers : 
thus Virgil (JEn. vi. 842) by a like figure calls 
the two Scipios " the thunderbolts of war " {duo 
fulmina belli). 

( 6 ) Philip.] Little is known of St. Philip, 
and he left no writings. He was a native of 
Bethsaida, the town of Simon and Andrew, and 



was originally a disciple of the Baptist. History 
shows that he was a married man, leaving behind 
him three daughters : also that he preached the 
Gospel in Upper Asia ; and suffered martyrdom 
in Phrygia. 

(J) Bartholomew*.] This Apostle was, doubtless, 
the same as Nathanael, of whom an account is 
given Section XX., Note 6. 

( 8 ) Thomas.] No mention is made of St. 
Thomas before his conversion, but he was pro- 
bably a fisherman, as we find him engaged in that 
occupation after the Resurrection of Christ : he 
then made himself remarkable by doubting the 
identity of his Master longer than his brethren. 
His surname of Didynms marks him as a twin. 

( 9 ) Matthew.] See Section XXXV., Note 1. 

( 10 ) James the son of Alpheus.] This son of 
Alpheus (or Cleophas, for they are the same 
names differently pronounced) was, by his mo- 
ther's side, a first cousin of our Lord (Gal. i. 19). 
This relationship may have been the cause of his 
being afterwards stationed at Jerusalem, and 
having the honour of presiding over the Church 
there (Acts xv. 13). — He was called "the Less 
(Mark xv. 40), to distinguish him from the son 
of Zebedee, being probably the younger ; and 
like his namesake, he suffered martyrdom, being 
thrown headlong from the battlements of the 
Temple, and afterwards stoned ; the injustice of 
which act is condemned even by the Jewish his- 
torian. This James is the author of the Epistle 
which bears his name. 

( n ) LebbcBUS.] This was St. Jude, another son 
I of Alpheus, and so a relation of our Lord. Thad- 
I daeus, the corresponding surname, is only a dif- 
ferent inflexion of Judas or Jude, and is used by 
St. Luke to distinguish this Apostle from the 
j traitor Judas. It has been remarked, that the 
proper name and surname of this Apostle are 
both of the same import and character ; Thad- 
dseus or Jude signifying the breast, and Lebbseus 
signifying the heart. St. Jude is the writer of the 
Epistle bearing his name. 

( 12 ) Simon the Canaanite.] This was another 
brother of James the Less ; and that he may not 
be confused with Simon Peter, he bears the 
epithet Canaanite,— probably from Cana, his na- 
tive place. St. Luke, for the same purpose of 
distinction, calls him Zelotes, or " the Zealot ;" a 
word which was then used in a good sense, 
though afterwards, from the conduct of a small 
sect who bore it, it came to mean a bigot. 

( 13 ) Jndas Iscariot.] The epithet here applied 
to Judas the traitor probably originated from 
what is supposed to have been his native place, 



81 



SECTION XLI. 

The Sermon on the Mount. 
Matt. v. — vii. 

Luke vi. 20—49; xi. 1—13, 33—36; xii. 22—34, 58, 59. 

AND seeing the multitudes assembled to hear Him preach, 
He went up again into a mountain: (I ) and when He 
was set down according to the custom of Jewish teachers. His 
disciples came unto Him. — And He lifted up His eyes 
on them, and opened His mouth, and taught them, 
saying — 



Blessings on the Poor and on Disciples suffering Persecution, 
contrasted with four woe8. 

Blessed be ye poor a(2) [Happy ye who are poor) in this tvorld's 
goods: thus shall your temptations and responsibilities be 
lessened; for if ye have the virtues of honest poverty and be 
but rich in faith, yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are 
ye that patiently bear earthly privations, and hunger 0 now, 
—more especially ye who hunger after righteousness, — for ye 
shall be filled, and your souls shall be abundantly satisfied with 
good things in the life to come. Blessed are ye that weep 
now c for your sins, with that godly sorrow which worketh 
repentance; for hereafter ye shall laugh: God will give you 
joy for mourning, and wipe away all tears from your eyes. 
— Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when 
they shall persecute and separate you from their company, 
as unworthy of communion with them, and shall reproach 



a Hath not God chosen 
the poor of this world rich 
in faith, and heirs of the 
kingdom which He hath 
promised to them that love 
Him Jas. ii. 5. 



b He satisfieth the long- 
ing soul, and filleth the 
hungry soul with good- 
ness. Ps. cvii. 9. 

« The Lord hath anoint- 
ed Me to hind up the 
hroken-hearted, — to com- 
fort all that mourn. Isa. 
Ixi. I, 2. 

God shall wipe away- 
all tears from their eyes; 
and there shall he no more 
death, neither sorrow, nor 
crying, neither shall there 
he any more pain. Rev. 
xxi. 4. 



Carioth or Kerioth, a small town in the tribe of 
Judah (Josh. xv. 25). There was also a small 
place named Ischarioth, of the tribe of Ephraim, 
which might have led to the appellation. But if 
it be not significant either of birth or residence, 
then it may be derived from the Syriac word 
sicariot, " a purse," and intended to be descrip- 
tive of this Judas, as having been the bearer of 
it (John xiii. 29). Respecting the character and 
death of the traitor see Section CXV., Note 2, 
and Section CXXVIL, Notes 1 & 3. 

( ! ) He went up into a mountain.'] The Law 
had been given upon a mountain, but it was with 
terror, and the people were commanded to remain 
at a distance : now they are invited to draw 
near. An eminence, called the Mount of the 
Beatitudes, two or three hundred feet in height, 
north of Mount Tabor, is supposed to have been 
the place where this inimitable Discourse was 



delivered. It is said that it was the custom with 
the primitive Christians to make their children 
commit it to memory. 

( 2 ) Blessed be ye poor.] There are sufficient 
grounds for believing that St. Matthew and St. 
Luke here record the same discourse. The ex- 
pressions are often identical : both commence 
with beatitudes and conclude with the same 
simile. The omissions of Luke (respecting the 
hypocrisy of the Pharisees and other like mat- 
ters) are explained from his writing for the Gen- 
tiles, and there is scarcely any additional matter 
in his copy of the discourse. He seems to com- 
mence, however, with more exclusive blessings 
on those of the actual poor who patiently endure 
poverty, hunger, and grief, for Christ's sake, and 
on the disciples who trustingly undergo persecu- 
tion ; and these blessings he contrasts with four 
woes not recorded by Matthew. 

G 



82 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



<i if ye suffer for right- you d , and scornfully cast out your name as that of evil 

eousness' sake, happy are , _ . ' , r , • • • -i i 

ye. i Pet. in. 14. doers, tor the son or man s sake: e rejoice ve m that day, 
a ™tr h :^*cJ\o. and leap for joy (exult) that ye are counted worthy to 
ward God endure grief, suffer such shame ; for behold, your reward is great in 

suffering wrongfully. 1 T J^ . J « . „ , 

Pet. ii. 19. Heaven ; for m the like manner did their fathers (the 

» if ye be reproached ancestors of these men) unto the Prophets/ 

happy' »e m ye;° f fo?te . But WOe UTlt0 Y 011 ( Alas/ f 0V V 0U ) that are richg 0nl V 

Spirit of glory and of God in this world's goods, for ye have already received all your 

res e^ upon you. e . conso j a ti on# Woe unto you that are full, h — who feel no 

f Which of the prophets hunger after righteousness, and from excess have erred out 

sSted? y °Acte a ^ er 52 er " °f the way, — for ye shall hunger (shall know what real want 

They were stoned, they is) in the life to come. Woe unto you that laugh now with 

were sawn asunder, were ,-, 7 , 7 7 £ .-, -, „ , . 7 . . , 7 , 

tempted, were slain with a thoughtless levity ; lor the hour oj trial must arrive at last, 

tute S afflfcteT\ e ormented an ^ then, when your fear cometh, ye shall mourn and weep. 

Heh. xi. 37. Woe unto you, — more especially such of you as are ap- 

s Woe to them that are pointed to preach the Gospel, — when all men shall speak 

at Thou in^th/ 1 lifetime we ^ °f you: 1 for human nature is ever opposed to the 

— bfit e now h thou 0d art il tS' Truth, applauding that doctrine which encourages it in sin; 

mented. Luke xvi. 25. and so did their fathers to the false prophets (3) of old, as 

Go to now, ye rich men, ,, 7 /> t-» 7 i • ±i i /. -r • 7 

howl and weep for your 1° those oj Baal, ana in trie days oj Jeremiah. 

miseries that shall come 
upon yon. Jas v. 1. 

Blessings on Humility and other spiritual Attainments. 

•» They have erred 

ildSJM Blessed are the poor in spirit^ 4 ) for theirs is the king- 

way: they err in vision, d om of heaven, — a kinqdom commenced upon earth and to 

they stumble m judgment. -m i ^ ^ . n 

isa. xxviii. 7. be consummated above. .Blessed are they that mourn jor 

iifyewere of the world sin, with that sorrow which leadeth to repentance, for 

olr°Johrxv d i9" e his the Y sha11 at last be comforted. 1 Blessed are the meek, 

if i yet pleased men, i Wl \o serve God with a quiet mind, and patiently endure 

should not be the servant ... „ _£7 -r» 7 • 77 1 

of Christ. Gal. i. 10. injuries ; tor, as the Fsalmist declared, they "shall in- 
herit the earth" (Ps. xxxvii. 11), enjoying content- 
eXthem d ^john'iv T me ^> the greatest of all blessings here, and succeeding to 
the true land of promise at last. Blessed are they which 
heart, o God, Thou wilt do hunger and thirst after (who ardently desire the attain- 
^ToThtma/winiko'k, ment °f) righteousness, for they shall be filled 111 with every 
saith the Lord, even to spiritual blessinq in this life, and shall be eternally satisfied in 

him that is poor aud of a \ _ - _ ^ ° 

contrite spirit, and trem- the next. Blessed are the merciful, who compassionately 
Wrttat My word. isa. regard fhe wmt§ and su ff erings 0 f others . for they shall 

1 As ye are partakers of the sufferings, so be ye also of the consolation. 2 Cor. i. 7. 

m Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money ; come ye, buy and eat ; yea, 
come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Isa. lv. J. — Seek ye first the kingdom of God and 
His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. vi. 33. 



( 3 ) So did their fathers unto the false pro- 
phets.] In the Old Testament history we have 
frequent and melancholy proofs of the evil here 
pointed at — one more than ever prevalent in our 
day : namely, unauthorized teachers delivering 
their own vague dogmas as the Truth of God ; 
often seeking only their own glory, and making 
their popularity minister to this world hy accom- 
modating themselves to the passions or whims of 
their hearers. (See some striking examples : Isa. 
xxx. 10; Jer. vi. 14; Ezek. xiii. 10; Zech. 
x. 2.) 



( 4 ) Blessed are the poor in spirit.] These 
Beatitudes have been termed the Christian para- 
doxes, because they place happiness in such dis 
positions of mind as no man naturally longs for. 
but which, on examination, will be found most 
effectual in procuring it. The blessings are pro- 
nounced as detached aphorisms, but we are not 
to conceive that the qualities exist apart; for 
they may all meet in different proportions in the 
same individual, and, taken together, they form 
the Christian character. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



83 



themselves obtain mercy 11 and acceptance with God. Blessed n With the memm! 

. f ,m\ t _ j , , j . x . , j Thou wilt shew Thyself 

are the pure m (at) heart, who do not rest in outward purity merciful. 2 Sam. xxii. 26. 

alone; for they shall enjoy that perfection of the soul's hap- si ^ A ^ e ^\ % 

piness to see God, 0 — livinq in favour with Him here, and Lord wil1 del , iver £ im j n 

__ ' . TT . 77. 7 -r»i 1 time of trouble. Ps. xh. 

dwelling with Him for ever in His eternal kingdom. Blessed 1. 

are the peace-makers, for they shall be called (they shall me ^ t Vkhout mlrcy^S 

be) the children of God,P — resembling in that heavenly J e ^ ed no merc y- Jas - 
quality the Father above, who is the God of all peace. 0 Who shall ascend int0 

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness* th , e hi } 1 ° f the , Lora > or 

J . 1 ° who shall stand in His 

sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 0 * Blessed are holy place? he that hath 

■L T_ n *i i 1 r j r n clean hands and a pure 

ye when men snail revile you, and persecute you, r and snail heart Ps 3j I 

say all manner of evil against you falsely, for Mv sake s and i . E ^ ei y . man that hath 

J . . "lis hope in him, puriheth 

because ye are Christians: rejoice and be exceeding glad, himself even as He 
for great is your reward laid up in heaven, for so per- 



pure. 1 John iii. 



P Live in peace, and the 

secuted they the Prophets which were before you. 1 God of peace shall be with 

J 1 J you. 2 Cor xiii. 11. 

1 If we suffer we shall 

Christians are the Salt of the earth and the Light of also reign with Him. 2 

the World. Tim. ii. 12. 

Ye, My disciples, are to be the salt of the earthy 5 ) sea- eousnS saHhappy^e 

soning and preserving it from moral corruption. But if the ye " 1 Pet- m ' u ' 

salt have lost his savour (6) and become insipid, wherewith . 8 They departed from 

■f r the council, rejoicing that 

shall it afterwards be salted (how can its saltness ever be they were counted worthy 

restored) ? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be name. 7jk*Lr?&* M 

cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. t Who both Mlled their 

Again, as the Sun enlightens the natural creation, so ye own P ro P hets > and have 

r' -i . ti ci lim persecuted us. 1 Thess. 

are to be the spiritual light v of the world. 1 he eyes of men ii. io. 

will be fixed upon you, and your course cannot remain Un- u Have salt in your- 

observed: a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.— And sel [ e e s ' yo ^^ 6 ^ ai- 

remember, it is not for your own sakes alone that ye will be wa y with g race > seasoned 

7/ , . . , , n / f n i with salt. Col. iv. 6. 

enlightened: neither do men light a candle (a lamp) and 

put it in a secret place, neither under a bushel (under a is \f ^he ^Mnfn^Hght 

measure), for that would overlay and conceal it; but they which "? re and 

1 17 ** 7 " a more unto the perfect day. 

place it on a candlestick (on a lamp-stand), that they which Prov. iv. is. 



( 5 ) Ye are the salt of the earth. ] Under the 
Law, salt was to be offered with all offerings to 
God (Lev. ii. 13). Under the New Covenant 
we have, instead, " the savour of the knowledge 
of Christ ;" compared with which all other learning 
may well be termed insipid, and which is truly 
purifying, penetrating, and powerful (see 2 Cor. 
ii. 14; Heb. iv. 12). — This remarkable metaphor 
(a similar one to which occurs in Livy, who has 
termed Greece the sal gentium) is addressed, 
with all that follows, not only to our Lord's dis- 
ciples at that time, but to Christians at large, and 
especially to all future pastors of His flock. All 
are bound by their baptismal vows to show forth 
the Gospel in the example of a Christian life. 
Like the Jews of old, the disciples of the Saviour 
are " a chosen generation, a royal priesthood." 
St. Peter, who was present at this Sermon, does 
not take it exclusively to himself as an Apostle ; 
but in the same spirit in which it is said, " Be 
ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect," he 
thus addresses all Christians in the first of his 



Epistles : "As He which hath called you is holy, 
so be ye also holy " (1 Pet. i. 15). The other 
Apostles reproduce similar maxims : St. James, 
in his General Epistle, writes, as strongly as His 
Master had spoken, against swearing, and almost 
in the same words (see Jas. v. 12) ; and St. 
Paul reproaches the Corinthians for not suffering 
wrong rather than go to law (1 Cor. vi. 7). 

( 6 ) If the salt have lost his savour, <§-<?.] The 
salt used by the ancients was what we term rock 
salt ; and the Jews made use also of that procured 
by evaporation from the lake Asphaltites or Dead 
Sea. Both these salts were impure, and a con- 
siderable quantity of the earth and vegetable sub- 
stances mixed with them would remain after the 
saltness was gone. This was useless, except that 
it was sometimes used instead of gravel for path- 
ways, especially those about the Temple to pre- 
vent the priests from slipping. To this there 
seems an allusion in its being f* trodden under 
foot of men." Maundrel found salt near Gebul 
which exposure had rendered quite insipid. 

G 2 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



w Herein is My Father 
glorified that rehear much 
fruit : so shall ye be My 
disciples. John xv. 8. 

Having your conversa- 
tion honest among the 
Gentiles, that -whereas 
they speak evil against 
you as evil doers, they 
may by your good works 
which they shall behold, 
glorify God in the day of 
visitation. 1 Pet. ii. 12. 



come in may see the light; and it giveth light unto all 
that are in the house. So let your spiritual light shine 
before men, in parity of doctrine and a blameless life, that 
they may effectually see and profit by your good works ; (7) 
and let this be your motive of action, that they. too may become 
Christians, and perceiving that such ivorks are the evident 
fruits of faith, may glorify your Father which is in 
heaven . w 



*■ Do we then make 
void the Law through 
faith? God forbid: yea, 
■we establish the Law. 
Rom. iii. 31. 

Christ is the end of the 
Law. Rom. x. 4. 

The Law was our 
schoolmaster to bring us 
unto Christ. Gal. iii. 24. 

7 "Whosoever shall keep 
the whole Law, and yet 
offend in one point, he is 
guilty of all. Jas. ii. 10. 

z They being ignorant 
of God's righteousness, 
and going about to estab- 
lish their own righteous- 
ness, have not submitted 
themselves unto the right- 
eousness of God. Rom. 
x. 3. 

I do .count all things 
but dung that I may win 
Christ, and be found in 
Him; not having mine 
own righteousness, which 
is of the Law, but that 
which is through the 
faith of Christ, — the 
righteousness which is o¥ 
God by faith. Phil. iii. 



The perpetual and spiritual nature of the Moral Law; and the 
deportment of christians one towards another. 

Think not that I am come to destroy (to annul) the 
Law, or the Prophets who attest it: I am not come to 
destroy, but to fulfil x — to ratify the moral obligation of 
the Law and to accomplish all which has been predicted. 
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth (the 
whole universe) pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no 
wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled. m 

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least 
(one of the least of these, Gr.) Commandments,? (9 > and 
shall teach men so to do, he shall be called the least in 
(he shall be farthest of all from attaining) the kingdom of 
heaven. But whosoever shall obediently do and faithfully 
teach them all, the same shall meet with his reward, and be 
called great in the kingdom of heaven. Trifle then no more 
as to which are weightier, and which are lighter precepts ; for 
I say unto you, that except your righteousness 2 become com- 
prehensive and spiritual, and shall far exceed the lax and 
often merely external righteousness of the Scribes and 
Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. 



(") That they may see your good works.] In 
carrying out this precept, of course nothing like 
ostentation must be allowed ; but still it is, on 
fitting occasions, important that Example should 
be set ; and that good actions should be so mani- 
festly done on the principle of religious duty, that 
all who witness them may be sure it is to that 
they owe their real excellence : then men cannot 
fail to perceive that the glory is due to God. 

( 8 ) One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass 
from the Law, Qc] Our Lord fulfilled the Law 
in every sense. Although He abrogated the 
ceremonial part of it, yet it was first fully com- 
pleted in Him as the great Subject of its prophe- 
cies, the Substance of all its types and shadows, 
and the real Victim which its sacrifices prefigured. 
Its moral precepts He alone perfectly obeyed ; 
while, as a Legislator, He re-enacted them in all 
their purity, and freed them from the many cor- 
rupt interpretations of the Jewish teachers. — The 
word jot here denotes the letter Jod, the smallest 
in the Hebrew Alphabet, and thus, figuratively, 
it had come to signify anything small. The 
word' tittle, in like manner, denotes one of those 
minute" joints or apices which were used at the 



angles of letters much resembling each other, in 
order to distinguish them ; and so it expressed 
the minutest part of other things. 

( 9 ) Whosoever shall break one of these least 
Commandments.] In consequence of the close 
connexion between the Commandments, he who 
breaks one may be said, in the sense of St. James 
(see in the Margin), to be guilty of all. They 
are a rule, and are therefore one, as a rule should 
be. One authority runs through all, which is 
" the golden thread they are strung on ; break it 
anywhere, and all the pearls drop off." 

( 10 ) The righteousness of the Scribes and Pha- 
risees.'] In order to favour their lax notions of 
morality, the Pharisees had divided the injunc- 
tions of the Law into the weightier and lighter, 
reckoning the transgression of the latter to be 
very venial. Among these they reckoned anger 
and calumny, which did not, they thought, incur 
the wrath of God, provided that sacrifices and 
other external rites in expiation of such faults 
were accurately observed. To this gross fallacy 
our Lord proceeds to reply. From causeiess 
anger and reproachful words, He makes a grada- 
tion to the censorious judging even of a man's 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 

Ye have heard that it was said (Exod. xx. 13) 
Dy them {to them, Gr.) of old time, Thou shalt not 
kill;/ 11 ) and upon this the gloss of the Scribes is, Whoso- 
ever shall in his anger unlawfully kill another shall be in 
danger of the judgment {of punishment by the inferior 
Court) : but I say unto you, (12) that the Sixth Command- 
ment has a much wider signification, and extends to the 
heart itself, the very seat of the evil : whosoever is angry 
with his brother {ivith any one of Ms fellow-creatures) with- 
out a sufficient and justifiable cause, shall be in danger of the 
judgment 3 {of such punishment as is inflicted by the loiver 
tribunals) ; for u he that hateth his brother is a murderer" 
(1 John iii. 15) already in his heart, and has violated the 
spirit of that Commandment: and whosoever shall contemptu- 
ously and without just cause say to his brother, Raca 
{Thou worthless fellow!), shall be in danger of such punish- 
ment as is inflicted by the Council or Sanhedrim: but 
whosoever shall impiously say, Thou fool {Thou wretch, or 
child of hell !), presuming to pronounce on the eternal state 
of another, shall be in danger of hell-fire (13) {of punishment 
answering to that in the dreadful valley of Hinnom) . 

Therefore think not that external service will be accepted 
as a substitute for the moral duties : if thou bring thy gift b 
{thy offering) to the Altar, and there rememberest that 
thy brother hath aught against thee {is on any account justly 
offended with, or holds himself injured by thee), leave there 



85 



s? tM si 



a Judges and officers 
shalt thou make thee iu 
all thy gates, which the 
Lord thy God giveth thee 
throughout thy tribes ; and 
they shall judge the peo- 
ple with just judgment. 
Deut. xvi. 18. 



b They shall not appear 
before the Lord empty : 
every man shall give as he 
is able according to the 
blessing of the Lord thy 
God which He hath giveu 
thee. Deut. xvi. 16, 17. 



eternal state — condemning each fault in turn ; 
and He ends with declaring that it is in vain for 
a man to approach God's altar who is at variance 
with his brother — that devotion cannot be ac- 
cepted unless it proceeds from a meek and cha- 
ritable spirit. 

( u ) Thou shalt not kill.] Our Lord's words in 
this place may be profitably used in modern times 
as a solemn warning against the wicked practice 
of duelling, — a practice almost recognised as ho- 
nourable in many Christian countries ! Anger, 
though it be reasonably excited, can no more 
justify this act, than it justifies secret homicide 
or murder. We find, under the Old Covenant, a 
remarkable curse pronounced by the dying 
patriarch Jacob upon two of his sons who had 
slain a man " in their anger" (Gen. xlix. 5 — 7). 
! — With the military profession, in particular, this 
barbarous custom has been considered as allow- 
able, if not necessary ; and unhappily, in civilized 
society and in courts, it is the military character 
which is so much affected. Yet at the outset 
of the Gospel narrative, we find soldiers empha- 
tically warned to " do violence to no man" (Luke 
hi. 14) ; while, to the honour of that profession, 
and in days of peculiar trial, the praise of more 
than one soldier is recorded in the sacred page. 

( 12 ) But I say unto you, <Jfc] Here our Lord 
emphatically speaks m His man name as a Legis- 
lator. — We may take notice, in this place, of the 
beautiful variety of the original language (the 
Greek) in which the Gospels are written ; a va- 
riety which can never be communicated to our 



poorer tongue, and which is remarkably shown 
at this part of our Lord's Discourse. There are 
no less than eight Greek verbs answering to the 
English word "say."''' Thus, at the commence- 
ment of the paragraph in the text, "Ye have 
heard that it was said," a; verb is used to ex- 
press whatever stands on the authority of tra- 
dition: "hut I say unto you;" here there is a 
verb to signify what our Lord delivered authori- 
tatively from Himself : and the clause, " whoso- 
ever shall say to his brother'' &c, has another 
verb conveying what is said incidentally. 

( 13 ) Hell-fire.] The word Gehenna, thus 
translated, is made up of two Hebrew words, and 
signifies the valley of Hinnom. In this valley, 
which adjoined the city, the idolatrous Israelites 
formerly worshipped an idol of brass which they 
called Moioch, and sacrificed their children by 
fire (2 Chron, xxxiii. 6). After the Captivity, 
this place was held in such abomination that it 
became the receptacle for carcasses of animals 
and other offal, which, in so hot a climate, soon 
polluted the air, and made it necessary to keep 
fires continually burning there. To a Jew, 
who abominated everything unclean, no punish- 
ment could be more degrading or offensive than 
this office. The valley was, not unfrequently, 
the place of executions ; and with reference both 
to its former and present use, it was no unfit 
emblem of the place of torment destined for the 
wicked. — Our Saviour's expressions used on this 
occasion seem to point to the different degrees of 
punishment hereafter, proportionate to crime. 



86 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, 



c — lifting up holy 
hands without wrath. 1 
Tun. ii. 8. 



A Go not forth hastily 
to strive, lest thou know 
not what to do in the end 
thereof, when thy neigh- 
bour hath put thee to 
shame: dehate thy cause 
with thy neighbour him- 
self. Prov. xxv. 8, 9. 

There is utterly a fault 
among you, because ye go 
to law one with another. 
1 Cor. vi. 7. 



thy gift with those who minister before the Altar, and go 
thy way ; first do all in thy power to be reconciled 0 to thy 
brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 

When thou goest with thine adversary (14) (thy creditor) 
to the magistrate, agree quickly (amicably compound the 
matter in time) whiles thou art in the way to the Court 
with him : d give diligence and make every effort that thou 
mayest quietly be delivered and have thine acquittance 
from him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee 
[hale thee, Luke] to the judge, and the judge deliver thee 
over to the officer who has to execute sentence, and so the 
officer cast thee into prison. Verily I say unto thee, if 
sentence be once passed, and the fault be thine that matters 
have arrived at such extremity, thou shalt by no means 
come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost far- 
thing, (I5) — even the very last mite. 



e Lust not after beauty 
in thine heart. Prov. vi. 
25. 

f — eyes full of adultery, 
that cannot cease from 
sin. 2 Pet. ii. 14. 

g Mortify therefore 
your members which are 
upon the earth, fornica- 
tion, uncleanness, inordi- 
nate affection, evil concu- 
piscence. Col. iii. 5. 



Of Adultery. 

Ye have heard that it was said by them (to them) of 
old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery (Exod. xx. 14) ; 
and your teachers have limited this Commandment to the 
outward act. But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh 
on a woman (on another man's wife, Gr.) to lust wilfully 
after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his 
heart e , and in the sight of God. And if thy right eye f 
offend thee by causing thee to lust, pluck it out and cast it 
from thee (1G) (mortify that evil passion which it feeds, how- 
ever difficult the trial may be) ; for it is profitable for thee 
and far better that one of thy members £ (thy darling vice) 
should perish, and not that thy whole body should at last 
be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee by 
ministering to sin, cut it off and cast it from thee ; for it 
is profitable for thee that one of thy members should 



( 14 ) When thou goest with thine adversary, <%c. ] 
Our Lord having told us, in the previous sen- 
tence, that we must strive to regain the favour 
of one with whom we are on unfriendly terms, 
here counsels us what to do when we actually lie 
at the mercy of another for debt. He further 
shows what is a violation of the Sixth Command- 
ment, by condemning a litigious spirit. Employ- 
ing the language of human judicature, He repre- 
sents how strictly and justly God will punish 
those who make no efforts for peace, or refuse to 
be reconciled. 

( 15 ) The uttermost farthing.] The farthing, 
or quadrans, was a small coin equal in value to 
two mites, which word St. Luke employs instead. 
The sense simply is, that the return of the whole 
of what was due would be insisted on. 

( 16 ) Pluck it out, and cast it from thee.] Our 
Lord, knowing that unchecked desire will, when 
opportunity favours, break forth into sin, here 
declares, in highly-Jigurative language (for of 
course we are not called upon to mutilate our 



bodies), that we must eradicate the eye of con- 
cupiscence, and cut off the right hand that would 
commit wrong, — so as effectually to turn aside the 
one and restrain the other. The Hebrews were 
accustomed thus to compare evil desires and the 
affections of the mind with members of the 
body: so "an evil eye" denoted Envy, and 
" bowels," Compassion. St. Paul more than once 
bids us watch over our members as " the instru- 
ments of sin" (Rom. vi. 13). — Our Lord's de- 
claration, in this place, that desire is sin, has 
been thought rigorous, but all strict moralists 
have decided the same. Cicero records the ob- 
servation, that even the eyes of a grave magis- 
trate ought to be restrained (Prsetorem deeei, 
non solum manus, sed etiam oculos, abstinentes 
habere); and Juvenal attaches the guilt of a 
wrong action to the man who meditates the com- 
mission of it — 

. . Scelus intra se taciturn qui cogitat ullum, 

Faeti crimen habet. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



87 



perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into 
hell. h 

It hath been said of old time, — but only by permission, 
and in particular cases, on account of the perversity of your 
hearts? — Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give 
her a writing of divorcement (Deut. xxiv. 1) : but I say 
now unto you, that, according to the primitive institution of 
marriage, whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for 
the discovered cause of fornication before marriage or of 
adultery since, causeth her, if she contract a second mar- 
riage, to commit adultery k ; and whosoever shall marry 
her that is so unjustly divorced, committeth adultery. 

Op Oaths. 

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them 
(to them) of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself 
(Thou shalt not violate thy solemn vows), but shalt exactly 
and religiously perform unto the Lord thine oaths (Numb. 
xxx. 2) : but I say unto you, Swear not at all 1(17) in your 
ordinary conversation, as you are so much accustomed to do, 
— not even indirectly by any created thing, for every thing 
acquires a sacred character from its connection with the 
Great Creator ; neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne, m 
— and to swear by that is the same as swearing by Him 
that sitteth thereon; nor by the earth, for it is under His 
dominion and is as His footstool; 11 neither by Jerusalem, 
for it is the City of the Great King 0 , who condescendeth to 
dwell within its Temple. Neither shalt thou swear by thy 
own head, because thou canst not so much as make one 
hair change its colour, whether it be white or black ; and 
the preservation of thy head concerns thy life,— to sivear by 
which is still to swear in effect by Him who has the power 
of life and death. 

But let your ordinary communication be Yea, yea; 
Nay, nay ;P O 8 ) simply affirming or denying as the truth may 



h If ye live after the 
flesh ye shall die, but if 
ye through the Spirit do 
mortify the deeds of the 
hody,ve shall live. Rom. 
viii." 13. 

I keep under my body 
and bring it into subjec- 
tion, lest that by any 
means when I have 
preached to others, I my- 
self should be a cast-away. 
1 Cor. ix. 27. 

1 He said unto them, 
Moses, because of the 
hardness of your hearts, 
suffered you to put away 
your wives ; but from the 
beginning it was not so. 
Matt. xix. 8. 

k If while her husband 
liveth, she be married to 
another man, she shall 
be called an adulteress. 
Rom. vii. 3. 

Unto the married I 
command, yet not I but 
the Lord, Let not the wife 
depart from her husband ; 
but and if she depart, let 
her remain unmarried. 
1 Cor. vii. 10, 11. 

1 Above all things, my 
brethren, swear not ; nei- 
ther by heaven, neither by 
the earth, neither by any 
other oath. Jas. v. 12. 

m Thus saith the Lord, 
The heaven is My throne. 
Isa. lxvi. 1. 

He that shall swear by 
heaven sweareth by the 
throne of God. and by 
Him that sitteth thereon. 
Matt, xxiii. 22. 

n Thus saith the Lord, 
The earth is My footstool. 
Isa. Ixvi. 1. 

0 Mount Zion, — the 
city of the Great King. 
Ps. xlviii. 2. 

Glorious things are 
spoken of thee, O city of 
God. Ps. Ixxxvii. 3. 

P Swear not, but let 
your yea be yea, and your 
nay, nay, lest ye fall into 
condemnation. Jas. v. 12. 



Swear not at all.'] The Pharisees distri- 
buted oaths into the serious and slighter ; not 
6crupling to use the latter on the most ordinary- 
occasions, and only condemning perjury when 
the name of God was expressly contained in the 
oath. Our Lord prohibits all vain oaths ; yet 
that there is no reference here to judicial oaths 
is evident, not only from "comparing spiritual 
things with spiritual," but from the fact that, in 
their judicial oaths God alone was invoked by the 
Jews. That part of the Law of Moses, which 
our Lord had not come to repeal, prescribed such 
oaths (Exod. xxii. 11; Numb. v. 19; Deut. 
xxix. 12). St. Paul's Epistles plainly justify 
appeals to the Deity on occasions of sufficient 
solemnity ; and the Apostle often ealls God to 
witness his own sincerity (see Rom. i. 9 ; 2 Cor. 
xi. 31 ; Gal. i. 20) : he also directly approves of 
the affirmatory oaths of courts of justice as " the 



end of strife" (Heb. vi. 16). Our Lord Him- 
self sanctioned, by His obedience, the adjura- 
tion of the High- Priest at his trial (Matt. xxvi. 
63, 64). 

( 18 ) Let your communication be, Yea, yea; 
Nay, nay.] We need not suppose that the pre- 
cise terms of affirmation or denial are here pre- 
scribed, but only such an habitual regard to truth 
as would render all sioearing unnecessary. — 
This degrading and wicked habit, which, to the 
disgrace of countries professing Christianity, is 
still so common, is disgusting to the refined, 
abominable to the good, insulting to those with 
whom we associate, and, above all, awful in the 
sight of God. He who wantonly and wilfully 
breaks the third commandment, will not hesitate 
to break the ninth also. The man who is 
always believed, is he whose character is above 
suspicion. 



8S 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



1 Say not thou, I will 
recompense evil ; but wait 
on the Lord, and He shall 
save thee. Prov. xx. 22. 

Say not, I will do so to 
him as he hath done to 
me. Prov. xxiv. 29. 

Recompense to no man 
evil for evil. If it he pos- 
sible, as much as lieth in 
you, live peaceably with 
all men. Dearly beloved, 
avenge not yourselves, but 
rather give place unto 
wrath, for it is written, 
Vengeance is Mine, I will 
repay, saith the Lord. 
Rom. xii. 17 — 19. 

Be patient toward all 
men. 1 Thess. v. 14. 

Not rendering evil for 
evil. 1 Pet iii. 9. 

r I gave My cheeks to 
them that plucked off the 
hair. Isa. 1. 6. 

He giveth His cheek to 
him that smiteth Him. 
Lam. iii. 30. 

• There is utterly a 
fault among you, because 
ye go to law one with 
another. Why do ye not 
rather take wrong? why 
do ye not rather suffer 
yourselves to be defraud- 
ed ? 1 Cor. vi. 7. 



°e, and at the most with a repetition to impress what 
thou wouldest say : for whatsoever is more than (exceedeth) 
these cometh of evil (is evil, and springs from the Author of 
Evil) ; it is irreverent to God, the Maker of the world and 
of all things without exception that are in it. 

Op not Repaying Evil, and of bearing Good Will towards 
Enemies. 

Ye have heard that it hath been said, as a rule of public 
justice, that he who maimeth another shall suffer retribution 
of the like kind — as for instance, an eye for an eye, and a 
tooth for a tooth (Exod. xxi. 24) ; and by the gloss of the 
Scribes, this has been further construed as an encouragement 
to revenge private injuries. But I say unto you, That, in 
matters which neither affect life nor conscience, ye resist not 
evil : q( 19 ) but rather take wrong than enter into strife; so 
that whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn 
to him the other also r — rather enduring a repetition of 
small aggressions, than returning a blow. And if any man 
will sue (is determined to sue) thee at the Law, and take 
away thy coat; rather than publicly contend with him about 
a small and reparable wrong, venture another loss and let 
him have [forbid him not to take, Luke] thy cloak also:* 
And whosoever shall compel (impress) thee to go a mile (8i:) 
for the public convenience, rather than violently resist such 
authority, go peaceably with him twain (twice the required 
distance). 



( 19 ) Resist not evil.] This precept, and the 
particular expressions which follow, are not to be 
too rigorously interpreted, and would not have 
been used at all, if the danger were not mani- 
festly the other way. — The first case, that of 
striking on the face, was regarded by the an- 
cients as an affront of the worst sort, and was 
severely punished both by the Jewish and .Etonian 
laws. When our Lord Himself was thus struck, 
in the presence of the High-Priest, — and, subse- 
quently, St. Paul under similar circumstances, — 
they expostulated for the injury committed (see 
John xviii. 22, 23 ; Acts xxiii. 2, 3) ; though the 
difference between the replies of our always-per- 
fect Saviour and the frail, though inspired, 
teacher, cannot fail to attract our notice. The 
command " not to resist evil" is intended to in- 
culcate a general spirit of forbearance under in- 
juries; and teaches, that we are to endure them 
as long as we can, rather than retaliate, or have 
recourse to law from resentful motives. — " To 
give the cheek to the smiter" was, even among 
the Jews, a proverbial expression for a forbear- 
ing temper, and similar passages are found in 
other writers : so Livy (lib. iv. cap. 35) " prcebere 
ad contumeliam 05." — It is urged that there are 
affronts which flesh and blood cannot pass by, 
but then we must remember that "flesh and 
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven." — A 
right reason, under the guidance of Religion, will 
point out what limitations to our Lord's general 
rule particular cases may require : but every 



candid and reflecting person must allow, that if 
these precepts be impracticable in their full ex- 
tent, it is only on account of the wickedness of 
mankind ; that in proportion as the Christian 
spirit prevails, they become easier, and that if 
that spirit were universal, there would be no in- 
capability of performing the hardest. — It was in 
points like these that the most accomplished of 
the heathen, and even their great moralists, en- 
tirely failed. What a simple and beautiful rule 
their great Tully spoiled by the addition of a few 
words : " It is (he writes) the first office of justice 
to hurt no man, — except first provoked by an 
injury." 

( 2U ) Thy cloak also.] The Jews wore two 
principal garments. The interior, called the coat 
or tunic, which was made commonly of linen, 
encircled the whole body, reaching down to the 
knees. Over this was commonly worn an upper 
and more valuable garment, — the same which is 
here called the cloak or mantle. 

( 21 ) Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile.] 
This alludes to what had beeu originally a Per- 
sian custom, and was adopted by the Romans in 
this and their other provinces. Couriers, and 
some other public officers, were authorised to 
compel any person they met to act as a guide ^ 
and they could employ horses, or put any other 
private convenience in requisition, for the public 
service. So our Lord's executioners compelled a 
traveller they met on their way to bear His 
Cross. 



THE SERMON ON THE TVIOUNT. 89 

After providing for your own family, and as a general rule, 1 The poor shall never 

give according to thine ability to every man, that seemeth to Ih^orTi ^Lm^l^te, 

be in need or who cannot work, that asketh alms of thee ;^ 22 ) j"?** 1 ? 0tt . ? halt 

i 7 thine nana wide unto thy 

and from him that would borrow of thee, if he be deserving brother, to thy poor, and 

of thy aid, turn not thou away u when able to lend. — Carry Bent. xv. e n. m thyland- 

the like Christian spirit into the other transactions of life : ^X^etXol S£ 

Of him that taketh away thy goods which he has borrowed, n t th t th 

ask them not hastily again, if it be out of his immediate men be eased, and ye bur- 

power to restore them, or if the demanding them at Law fty7that b you7abunXnce 

would bring him to ruin : and therefore all things whatso- m& ? be * m w}y for their 

, , , 7 want; that their abun- 

ever ye would that men should do to you, do ye also dance also may be a sup- 

in the like circumstances even so to them ; for this is the there^may'be^TquTiity! 

sum and substance of what is contained in the Law and 3 Cor - viii - 13 > 14 * 

the Prophets . v i Thou shalt not harden 

Ye have heard that it hath been said of old, Thou shalt hand from' thy poor *brZ 

love thy neighbour (Lev. xix. 18) : this commandment has ^nl^t'oSfent'fJ 

been since illiberally restricted to those of your own nation, his need m^that which he 

and the corrupt inference has been added, Thou shalt hate The righteous is ever 

thine enemy. But the Law itself commands you to " love ^ U1 3 jf lendeth> Ps ' 

the stranger " and " bring back the strayed beast of thine v Thou ghalt We 

enemy" (see Exod. xxiii. 4 ; Lev. xix. 34), and I say unto neighbour as thyself. Lev. 

you which hear Me this day, Love your enemies./ 23 ) bearing X1 Love is the fulfilling 

good will towards them in all things : bless them that curse ^ the law * Rom - siU - 

you, returning good words and kind ivishes for their revil- The end of the com- 

j . „ , , 7 .„ 77 i > mandment is charity. 1 

mgs, and, in so jar as truth will allow, speaking javour- Tim. i. 5. 

ably of them : do good when it lies in your power to them w f f t h me enemy hun- 

that hate you, w and pray for the Divine forgiveness and P er >( eed him ; if he ^st, 

J f . . give mm drink: overcome 

better disposition of them which despitefully use you and eyii with good. Rom. 

persecute you : x that in the observance of these things ye xu ' ' 

may be the worthy children of your Father y which is in ^J^^l^Z',^ 

Heaven, and bear some faint resemblance to the Great *ey know not what they 

4i n 7 tt ■ i i " 0 - Luke xxiii. 34. 

Author of all good; for He is ever kind unto the most un- And Stephen kneeled 

thankful of His creatures. He maketh His sun to rise on fo^voice! Lord, lay^not 

the evil and on the good, 2 and sendeth rain on the iust and l ? is sil1 *° their char s e - 

° ' J Acts vn. 60. 
Bless them which persecute you. Rom. xii. 14. — Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it. 
1 Cor. iv. 12. — Christ, when He was reviled, reviled not again ; when He suffered, He threatened not. 1 Pet. 
ii. 23. 

7 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil : whosoever doeth not righteousness is 
not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. 1 John hi. 10. 

2 Upon whom doth not His light arise? Job sxv. 3. — He left not Himself without witness, in that He did 

good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with joy and gladness. Acts xiv. 17. 



( 22 ) Give to every one that asketh of thee.} It 
is better to relieve those whose pretensions we 
are unable to decide, than to send one member of 
Christ empty away. There is a kind of pruden- 
tial charity which refuses its aid until convinced 
of the impossibility of deception. Such charity 
may come too late. We cannot know the heart, 
but we can always form some judgment from 
outward circumstances, and if these are at all in 
favour of our petitioner, it is better to listen to 
the voice of humanity — for the Christian to sur- 
render himself to his natural feelings, than to 
pass such cases by. 

( 23 ) Love your enemies.} Perhaps this is the 



most difficult of all our duties, yet the Christian 
must aim at the attainment of it ; for it is the 
great characteristic mark of the religion which 
has come from God. We are to separate a man's 
person from his conduct, and though we may not 
approve of the latter, there is always room left 
for benevolence towards him as he is a fellow- 
creature. The case put in the text of a kind 
Providence watching over the most worthless, 
plainly shews that it is not the love of affection 
which is required of us in such cases, but the 
doing good offices ivhenever we can, especially 
those of common humanity. 



90 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



on the unjust, — all alike sharing His ordinary providential 
bounties, and being monuments of His daily care. As My 
disciples ye must strive to attain some measure of this per- 
fect spirit : for if ye love them only which love you, what 
reward have ye reasonably to expect ? Such feelings of 
sympathy are common to the worst of men t do not even 
the very publicans, whom ye so despise, the same ? sinners 
also of every description love those that love them : and 
if ye, ivho pretend to a much higher standard of morals, 
do good to them only which do good to you, what thank 
have ye — for sinners also, as ye find, do even the very 
same ? — And again, in the ordinary intercourse of life, if ye 
salute your Jewish brethren only with marks of civility and 
kindness, what do ye more than others ? Do not even the 
* i am the Almighty publicans so ? — In all things be ye therefore perfect,* 1 even 

God: walk before Me, 1 .. , * . . r . . ' 

and be thou perfect. Gen. as (m the same manner as) your r atner which is m Heaven 
^Ye^haii be holy, for i is perfect — making Heavenly Perfection the standard of 
am holy. Lev. xi. 44. your conduct, and aiming at the same by daily acts of love 

Be ye therefore follow- y . * 7777 

ers of God as dear chii- and expressions oj good-will towards the whole body of 

dr -alwa P ys 'labouring fer • IfOUr felloW-CTeatureS. 

vently for you in prayers, ^nd }f ye } en( J to t | iem Q f w h 0 m Ve Confidently hope to 

that ye may stand perfect , J m . . 

and complete in all the receive back again, — perhaps with the usual interest for 

will of God. Col. iv. 12. -, , . -. ■■ -, ^ c • 1 1 i 

your money, — what thank have ye ? ior sinners also lend 
to sinners, to receive as much as is due again : But do good ; 
and when it is in your power, lend without interest to such 
as have claims on your regard, or who may be otherwise 
deserving of your support : if they should be able to return 
the principal, it is well; yet lend to such persons, though 
hoping for nothing from them again. And so your reward 
shall be great, b and ye shall be the children of the Highest, 
Lord,°and e thafwhfoh lie ^ s surety for the poor man, and will requite every such 
benevolent deed as though it were done unto Himself 

Be ye therefore in these several respects merciful, as 
your Father also in all things is merciful. 



Be perfect and entire, 
wanting nothing. Jas. i. 
4. 



b He that hath pity 



hath given He will pay 
him again. Prov. xix 
17. 



Ostentation to be avoided in Almsgiving, in Prayer, and in Fasting. 

Take heed that ye do not your alms [your various 
ivorks of charity) before men in order to be seen of them . 
otherwise, if such be your guiding motive, ye have no reward 
of your Father which is in Heaven. Therefore when thou 
doest thine alms, let all be done with simplicity : do not 
sound, as it were, a trumpet before thee, as the hypo- 
crites ( 24) in a manner do by their ostentation in the syna- 
gogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of 
men : verily I say unto you, they have their reward, for 



( 24 ) Hypocrites.] This word properly de- 
noted an actor, and, as it was the unnatural cus- 
tom of ancient times to wear masks upon the 
stage, it thus came to signify a dissembler. The 



original of the expression in the sentence pre- 
ceding, rendered " to be seen " of men, is of the 
same class, signifying to be beheld aud applauded 
as in a theatre by the spectators. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 91 

the worldly applause they aim at is all the return they shall 
ever have. But when thou doest alms, take care that thy 
motive be pure, and let not thy left hand know what thy 
right hand doeth; (25) that so in all ordinary cases thine 
alms may be done in secret, and thy Father, which seeth 

every action in secret, Himself shall reward thee openly. 0 c Nothing is secret that 

* shall not be made mani- 

And one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach f es t, neither any thing hid 

us to pray as John also taught his disciples. And He said, * a d ' 

When thou prayest, thou shalt not be (must not he) osten- viii - 17 - 
tatious as the hypocrites are also in this respect i for they 
love to pray standing^ 6 ) in the synagogues whither large 
multitudes resort, and in the corners of the streets where 
several ways meet, in order that they may be seen of many 
men at once. Verily I say unto you, they have their re- 
ward — all that they shall ever have. But thou, when thou 
prayest at home, enter into thy closet {thy retired chamber), 

and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father d Be not rash with thy 

which is in secret (who is invisible), and thy Father which mo "? : God is in heaven, 

v * and thou upon earth; there- 

seeth all in secret shall reward thee openly. But when fore let thy words be few. 
ye pray, use not vain and needless repetitions, d(27) as the 

heathen do e when invoking their false deities, for they think na ^JJf Baa? from morn- 

that they shall be heard for their much speaking: be ye ! n s e ™? n°on,say- 

J ; . . ln g ( o Baal, hear us. But 

not therefore like unto them m this respect, neither minutely there was no voice, nor 

prescribe your wants, for your Father knoweth what things Sngs xW*26 Were ' 

ye have need of, before ye ask Him. After this manner . A1 ! T ith one ™ ice ' 

J 3 J about the space of two 

and according to this model therefore pray ye (28) [When ye hours > crie « out > Great is 

- r Diana of the Ephesians 

pray, say, Luke] e — Acts xix. 34. 



( 25 ) Let not thy left hand know, fyo.] This is 
evidently a proverbial expression. That public 
charity is not here forbidden, and that the Apos- 
tles understood our Lord to be speaking chiefly of 
the motive in almsgiving, appears from their own 
subsequent practice ; for they, with St. Paul, 
frequently encouraged and promoted public col- 
lections (see Acts vi. 1; xi. 29; 1 Cor. xvL 1), 
Our Lord, in an earlier part of this Discourse, had 
also said that His disciples might on fit occasions 
allow their good deeds to be known (see Note 7). 

( 26 ) To pray standing.'] The Jews were 
accustomed to pray in this posture, except on 
remarkable occasions of penitence or mourn- 
ing (see Luke xviii. 11, 13). Sometimes 
" standing" implies prayer (see Job xxx. 20 ; 
Jer. xv. 1). 

( 2 ?) Use not vain repetitions.'] The original 
of this expression is supposed to be derived from 
the name of Battus, an inferior Greek poet, 
who wrote weary hymns full of tautologies. 
There are but few heathen prayers on record, 
but these (as may be strikingly seen in the Or- 
phic Hymns) are full of repetitions and invoca- 
tions of their gods. Our Lord's meaning simply 
is, that Christians must not expect to be heard 
merely for their much speaking ; nor will it avail 
to say, "Lord, Lord, and do not the things" 
that He says. His own example (Matt. xxvi. 
44) shows, that He did not object to the devout 
repetition of appropriate prayers ; and accord- 
ingly our Church repeats more than once in 



her services the excellent Prayer which pre- 
sently follows (see Section CXX1., Note 3). 

( 28 ) After this manner therefore pray ye. ] The 
context and expressions with which this Prayer 
is introduced shew that we have in it a prece- 
dent as well as a pattern for Forms of Prayer. 
A form is plainly enjoined, as we are not only 
taught what things we should ask of God, but 
in what words we should ask them. It appears 
to be laid down that men are not always able of 
themselves to express their spiritual wants ; for 
St. Paul says, " The Spirit also helpeth our in- 
firmities, for we know not what we should pray 
for as we ought" (Rom. viii. 26). Forms of 
Prayer are prescribed at Deut. xxi. 7; xxvi. 
13 ; Joel ii. 17 ; while the Book of Psalms was 
composed for the service of the Temple. Our 
Lord was in the regular habit of frequenting the 
synagogues, where forms of Prayer were used ; 
and the Baptist had taught his disciples "how 
to pray."— »[ It should be noticed here that 
St. Luke speaks of our Lord's having so taught 
His disciples on an occasion immediately after 
He had been Himself engaged in Prayer. 
This merely-circumstantial discrepancy has 
been omitted above (in accordance with the 
plan of combining the two narratives of the 
Sermon on the Mount), lest its introduction 
into the text might confuse the reader.] — It 
is said that the outline of this beautiful Prayer 
(with the exception of the clause on For- 
giveness) existed in substance hi the nineteen 



92 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



* Ye have received the Our Father f (29 > which art more especially in Heaven,& 
by we cry, Abba Father. Thine eternal dwelling-place ; hallowed everywhere and by 
Rom. viii. is. a fl foe Thy holy name : Thy kingdom come (may the reign 
inhe T a v e e n Lo p s ! 2T is °f the Gos P el advance till the whole earth is filled with Thy 

our God is in the hea- glory). Thy will be done in (on. Gr.) earth h as it is in 

vens. Ps. cxv. 3. V • / 77 v 77 r 

Thus saith the Lord, heaven 1 {may all acknowledge the dispensations of Thy pro- 

£m! 1. My thr ° ne ' vidence and fulfil Thy revealed will— copying in this the 

* o My Father, Thy obedience of the holy angels who constantly do Thy pleasure). 
mU be done. Matt. xxvi. Give us this day [day by day, Luke] our daily bread (30) 

The will of the Lord be (feed us ivith food convenient 1 for us, and supply us with 
whatever Thou seest to be needful for our wants) ; and 
do h?s ^mZtt! forgive us our debts, as we [our sins, for we also, Luke] 
of His wofd^Ps* h ciU°2o e for g ive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation k 

. „ r , , (let us not be so irretrievably led into the snares of the 

k Watch and prav that 7 .? , , s 

ye enter not into tempta- world, the flesh, or the devil, as to be overcome by them) i 
wiSing* 1 but "Se^eA is deliver us fr° m evnl (from the evil of Si?i and all the 

weak. ' Matt. xxvi. 41. assaults of the Evil One). For Thine is the kingdom < 31 > 

* i pray that Thou (the dominion over all things), and the Almighty power, and 
tb.8 evil. John xvii. 15. the glory (the honour and praise), for ever. m Amen (So be 

God is faithful who will i\ . 

not suffer you to be tempt- lt ! ) 1 

but^iTwith the^tem^a' ^ or ^ Y e ' ^ disciples, from your hearts freely forgive 

tion also make a way to men their trespasses against you, your heavenly Father 

abie P to bear it 6 ™Cor.x! a ^ so forgive you 11 your sins, — which are as so many 

13 The Lord knoweth how debts contracted against God; but if ye forgive not men 

to deliver the godly out of their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your 

temptation. 2 Pet. ii. 9. , _ 

trespasses. 0 

gre^sT^d^po^ Arid to teach per severance and even importunity m 
and the glory, and the p ra yer, He said also unto them, Which of you shall have 

victory, and the majesty ; . \ iin i • • i • -i 

for ail that is in the hea- a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto 

ven and in the earth is i • t» • j» i J at. i r r • J r 

Thine; Thine is the king- him, friend lend me three loaves; tor a mend 01 mine m 
dom, o Lord, and Thou i ourne y i s CO me to me, and I have nothing to set 

art exalted as Head above ** * y ° 

all. 1 Chron. xxix. 11. — Blessed be His glorious name for ever; and let the whole earth be filled with His 
glory; Amen, and Amen. Ps. lxxii. 1 9. —Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth 
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Rev. v. 13. 

n Forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any. even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 
Col. iii. 13. 

° He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy. Jas. ii. 13. 



prayers of the Jewish Liturgy. Whatever be its 
antiquity, it is unquestionably the most perfect of 
all prayers. It implies, without positively ex- 
pressing, the desire for everything which a Chris- 
tian can wish, or ought to ask. The object of 
its three primary petitions is the glory of God ; the 
three next concern ourselves, — our wants tempo- 
ral and spiritual ; the remainder forma noble and 
suitable doxology. For a succession of solemn 
thoughts, for fixing the attention on a few great 
points, for suitableness to every condition, for 
simplicity of expression, for conciseness and com- 
prehensiveness without obscurity, for the weight 
and real importance of its petitions, this Prayer 
is indeed without an equal or a rival. 

( 29 ) Our Father.] It is remarkable that our 
Lord never for Himself uses this expression. He 
frequently says " My Father," and, in addressing 
His disciples, speaks of God as their heavenly 
Father. Sometimes he says, " Your Father " 



and " the Father ;" but He never makes such a 
conjunction of us to Himself, as not to make a 
distinction. A similar renunciation of earthly 
connection may be observed on other occasions . 
thus He says, " It is written in your Law " 
(John viii. 17). 

( 30 ) Our daily bread.'] According to the 
Hebrew this would be " to-morrow's (or future) 
bread but the sense is the same, — meaning 
whatever may be needed for our wants. A 
spiritual sense may also be understood here, 
since man lives " not by bread alone." 

( 31 ) For Thine is the kingdom.] This clause is 
given by St. Matthew alone, but its genuineness 
is strongly supported by the Syriac version, and 
1>.\ other ancient copies. The Greek liturgies 
have it, and it is very unlikely that the ancient 
writers of that Church would have ventured to 
add their own inventions to a form of our Lord's 
own composing. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 93 



before him. And he from within shall answer and say, 
Trouble me not; the door is now shut for the night, and 
mv children are with me (are as well as myself) in bed : I 
cannot now rise and give thee the loaves. I say unto you, 
Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, 
yet because of his earnest and persevering importunityP ^ 
he will at length rise and give him even as many loaves as he 
needeth. And I say also unto you, Ask of God, not only 
in humility and faith, but with earnest perseverance, — even as 
a beggar asks an alms, — and it shall be given you ;<i seek 
diligently, as for a thing of great value, and ye shall find ; r 
knock loudly and patiently, as one that is eager to gain 
admittance, and it shall at length be opened unto you. 
For every one that so asketh, receiveth ; and he that 
seeketh, findeth ; and to him that knocketh, it shall be 
opened. — Or, what man is there of any of you that is a 
father, of whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a 
stone ? or if he ask a fish, will he for (instead of) a fish 
give him a serpent ? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer 
him a scorpion ? (33) If ye then, being evil (although frail 
and imperfect, as the best earthly parents are), know how, 
and are inclined, to give good gifts unto your children ; how 
much more shall your Father, which is in heaven, give 
good things,- — even the best of all gifts, — the Holy Spirit, 
to them that ask Him. 

Moreover when ye fast, 5 (34) be not, as the hypocrites, 
of a sad (a morose or dismal) countenance ; for they disfi- 
gure their faces, — leaving them unwashed, arid allowing 
the hair to grow to an unsightly length, — that so they may 
appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they 



P Because this widow 
troubleth me, I will avenge 
her, lest by her continual 
coming she weary me, 
Luke xviii. 5. 

1 If ye abide in Me, and 
My words abide in you, 
ye shall ask wbat ye will, 
and it shall be done unto 
you. John xv. 7. 

Ask in faith, nothing 
wavering. Jas. i. 6. 

Whatsoever we ask, 
we receive of Him, be- 
cause we keep His com- 
mandments. 1 John iii. 
22. 

If we ask anything ac- 
cording to His will, (He 
heareth us. 1 John v. 14. 

r Those that seek Me 
early shall find Me. Prov. 
viii. 17. 

Seek ye the Lord while 
He may be found. Isa. 
lv. 6. 

Ye shall seek Me and 
find Me, when ye shall 
search for Me with all 
your heart. Jer. xxix. 
13. 

*■ They ministered unto 
the Lord and fasted. Acts 
xiii. 2. 

Give yourselves to fast- 
ing and prayer. 1 Cor. 
viL 5. 

— in fastings often. 2 
Cor. xi. 27. 



( 33 ) Because of his importunity.} All that we 
should apply in this comparison is the persevering 
earnestness in prayer; the happy effects of which 
our Saviour takes occasion to illustrate by a case 
very likely to occur in an eastern country, where 
journeys were commonly made in the night to 
avoid heat, and hospitality was deemed a sacred 
duty ineumbent on alL For if determined en- 
treaty can thus gain its object from men, what 
will not fervent and assiduous Prayer obtain from 
a heavenly Benefactor, " who neither slumbereth 
nor sleepeth," and to whom, as the hearer and 
answerer of prayer, all flesh may come. 

( 33 ) If foe ask an egg will he offer him a 
scorpion ?] The similitude is still carried on be- 
tween the thing asked and the thing given : the 
scorpion rolls itself into the form of an egg ; 
in particular, the white scorpion (the first species 
mentioned by ancient naturalists) has a body 
with that appearance, and also about the same 
size, its head being scarcely distinguishable. 

( 34 ) When ye fast.'] Although our Lord left 
no positive precept about Fasting, He assumes 
that His disciples would fast. We find precisely 
the same course adopted concerning this duty as 
with reference to Prayer: in this Sermon, which 
is so perfect a summary of the principal duties of a 



Christian life, we have directions how to pray and 
how to fast ; and a reward is promised to both 
duties rightly performed. Elsewhere the two 
duties are closely joined together in Scripture. — 
The foundation of Fasting, applied to Religion as 
a sacred rite, is plainly this ; that it is the natural 
expression of grief : there is a mysterious union 
and reaction between our souls and bodies, and 
when the soul is absorbed and overburdened, the 
natural habits of the body decline. Fasting puts 
an edge on Prayer, and is an evidence and in- 
stance of that humiliation which is indispensable 
to successful prayer. The primitive Christians 
seem to have regularly fasted twice in the week, 
on Wednesdays and Fridays. The Council of 
Chalcedon (a.d. 451) gave directions as to the 
observance of Fasts ; and although, — since the 
Reformation, and in consequence of the great 
misuse of this Christian duty, — the practice has 
fallen into much neglect, our own Church has 
always approved it : she lays down no positive 
rules, but bids us add outward humiliation to 
real sorrow, and recommends that we " use such 
abstinence, that our flesh being subdued to the 
Spirit," we may successfully obey the motions of 
Divine Grace. Fasting is a good medicine, though 
it must, like other medicines, be skilfully used. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint 
thine head, and wash thy face, according to daily custom ; 
that thou appear not unto men to fast, but only unto thy 
Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth all 
things in secret, shall reward thee openly. 

Of Covetousness and Solicitude. 

Lay not up for yourselves treasures (35) upon earth, 
where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves 
break through and steal : but sell that ye have and give 
* Jesus said, if thou alms * [rather sell part of what ye have than neglect the im- 
IhouhLfandgivfto^he portant duty of alms-giving). Provide yourselves bags 
poor, and thou shait have (p Urses ) which wax not old, and be rich in good works. That 

treasure in heaven. Matt. u ' 7 ° 

xix. 21. your happiness may rest on a sure foundation, lay up for 

u Charge them that are yourselves a treasure in the heavens that faileth not ; u 
Intydog^irafLyte wnere neither moth nor rust doth corrupt/ and where 
rich in good works, ready thieves do not approach nor break through nor steal. For 

to distribute, willing to 11 ° 

communicate; laying up where your treasure, — the real object of your attachment, — 
g^oo^^oiindatio^agalnst i s j there will your heart be also. The eye is the light (the 

mljZ^hZ'lnftevZ lam P) ° f the b ° d y ' lf tnerefore tnine e Y e > the 9 uide <>f «S 

life. i Tim. vi. 17—19. thy other members, be single [be clear and perfect), thy 
r An inheritance incor- whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be 
SSeS™^ eviK 36 ) (be in any way distempered), thy whole body also, 
Tvet f ? eaven f ° r y ° U ' having no other means of light, shall be full of darkness. 

If, therefore, in like manner, the spiritual light that is (that 
should be) in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness, 
and how much more to be dreaded than any natural blind- 
ness ! Take heed, therefore, that the light which by God's 
grace is in thee, be not darkness. If therefore thy whole 
body be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall 
be full of light (the illumination shall be complete), even as 
in a room when the bright shining of a candle (a lamp) 
doth give thee light. 

No man can at the same time serve two masters of con- 
trary dispositions and giving contradictory orders: for 
either he will hate (have diminished regard for) the one, 
and love the other, proving his attachment by his obedience, 
or else he will hold to the one, — looking to the commands 
and interests of that one alone, — and will comparatively 
despise the other. The supreme affections can only be 
devoted to one object: ye cannot serve both God and 



( 35 ) Treasures.] In the East, where fashions 
did not alter as with us, riches or " treasure " 
chiefly consisted in abundance of costly vest- 
ments, as well as in articles of gold and silver ; 
the former being generally selected by princes 
and great men as the most valuable presents 
(see Gen. xlv. 22 ; Judg. xiv. 12 ; Jas. v. 2). 

( 36 ) If thine eye be evil.] The single and evil 



eye were common expressions among the Jews 
to denote good or bad qualities of the mind. It 
appears, from the context, that covetousness and 
its opposite are here particularly denoted ; for 
the preceding words are a dissuasive from laying 
up earthly treasure, and those which follow are 
a caution against the love of Mammon, and the 
" lust of the eyes." 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 95 

Mammon w (' 7 ) at the same time ; for any other master would * Do i now persuade 

rival God and at last eject Him from your thoughts. ™^^™te£i£t 

Therefore I say unto you, Take no anxious thought/ 38 ) |^ e e d ™ en / I t sh f 0l jiJ ™f 

and be not distracted with fluctuating hopes and fears for Gal. i. 10. 

that which is needful to support your life ; either as to what worid'isenmkfwnhGod 9 

ye shall eat. or what ye shall drink, or yet for your Jas - J v - 4 - 

• j i t " a °y maa love tne 

body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life which God world, the love of the Fa. 

has already given you more than meat, and a blessing f. not m him - 1John 

far greater than the food which sustains it? and is not 

the body of more consequence than the raiment which 

covers it ? Will not He, therefore, who has conferred the 

greater blessings, impart too the lesser means of sustaining 

them ? — Behold and attentively consider how it is with the 

ravens, x — driven, when young, from the nest by the parent- x Who povideth for 

birds, — and with the other fowls of the air; for they his young ones°cry^nto 

neither sow nor reap,— neither have storehouse nor gather G °He &vet™fotttt\<> 

into barns, — yet your heavenly Father regularly feedeth young^ ravens which wy. 

them. How much more are ye better, because of a nobler 

order, and destined for a higher end, than the fowls/ 39 ) 

And again reflect upon your insufficiency to yourselves, 

and your extreme helplessness as mortal creatures : which of 

you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit (40 > 

{can with the utmost solicitude add the smallest span to his 

age, or prolong his life an hour) ? If then ye be not able 

to do for yourselves that thing which is least, why take ye 

needless thought for the rest— for things which ye are still 

less able to compass ? And why take ye thought for your 

raiment ? Consider even the lilies of the field how they 

grow ; they toil not, neither do they spin ; and yet I say 

unto you, That the wealthiest and most magnificent king of 

Israel, even Solomon himself in all his glory y [at the very y So King Solomon ex- 

height of his splendour), was not arrayed in a robe of per- SKS^S 

fectly-spotless white like one of these/ 4 Wherefore if s - 33 - 



( 87 ) Mammon.] This word in Syriac and 
Chaldee signifies riches. Like the Greek Plutus, 
it is here personified, showing that the love of 
money is a kind of idolatry, as the Apostle terms 
it (Eph. v. 5). 

( 38 ) Take no thought.'] At the date of our 
English translation, this phrase came nearer to 
the original (which is very expressive) than the 
sense which it now conveys. At that period the 
verb to "take thought" implied anxious thought 
and solicitude, as a proof of which it has been 
noticed that a Hebrew verb undoubtedly denoting 
anxiety is rendered, at 1 Sam. ix. 5, by " to take 
thought for;" and again the same is rendered, in 
the second verse of the chapter next following by 
" to sorrow for." In the life of Fox (prefixed to his 
Book of Martyrs) an early biographer observes, 
that he did not suffer his mind to be distracted 
** by taking thought for his household affairs." 

( 39 ) How much more are ye better than the 
fowls,] It is observable that God is nowhere 
spoken of as the Father of the brute creation, 



but throughout this Discourse He is called our 
Father. This, no doubt, is intended to make us 
sensible in how much nearer a relation we stand 
to Him than they, and consequently how we 
may justly expect greater expressions of His love, 
if we try to deserve it. 

( 40 ) Can add to his stature one cubit.] The 
word here rendered stature is more correctly ren- 
dered age at John ix. 21. The word cubit is 
used metaphorically, analogous to which it is 
common to compare life to a race or a journey. 
David says, " My days are as it were a span 
long." Our Lord, having divided human cares 
into those which regard life and raiment, conti- 
nues here to treat of the first, recurring to the 
second in the sentence which immediately 
follows. 

( 41 ) Was not arrayed like one of these.] 
Eastern princes were usually clothed in white 
robes, which were accounted the most magnifi- 
cent (see Esther viii. 15; Dan. vii. 9). — The 
white lily is not now found in Palestine, but 



96 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



God so clothe and deck with more than royal splendour the 
grass [the flower) of the fields which to day is [exists) thus 
lovely, and to-morrow is cast, dried up and withered, into 
the oven ; shall He not much more clothe you His children 
by adoption and heirs of immortality, O ye of little faith, 
distrustful as ye are of an ever-watchful and overruling 
Providence ? 

Therefore take no undue and anxious thought ; seek ye 
not nor be of doubtful mind, saying, What shall we eat, or 
what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed ? 
for after all these things do the unenlightened Gentiles [the 
nations of the world, Luke] eagerly seek as their chief 
z Be careful for no good, having no hope as yet of any better things. Surely it 
thing; hut in every thing ^ ^ become you to be thus anxious : for your Heavenly 

by prayer and supphca- J J J 

tion, with thanksgiving, Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things; 2 and 
known unto God. Phil, if you ask but aright, He will give you whatever He deems to 
1V Casting all your care °e & es t an d most needful for you. But rather, guiding your 
upon Him^for He careth thoughts and anxieties into a nobler channel, seek ye, first 
or you. e . v. . ^ ^ the Kingdom of God, and His Righteousness [even 
and now*am oiTand y2 that perfect mode of Justification through Christ which His 

SLKtSS? Gos P el reveah ' see Rom - x - 3 )> and a11 these pessary 
ging their bread. Ps. things shall be added unto you. a Fear not, My poor little 

Cast thy burden upon flock, the ivant of any such transitory things as these, for it 
tZ£%££*a is 7° ur Father's good pleasure freely to give you the 
to^rn^ed 1 ^ 8 ^ 6 ?? Kingdom, — the possession of never-failing happiness and 

Godliness is profitable eternal glory. Take therefore no anxious thought for the 

for all things, having pro- h / j? j.t • x j? J< s J \ z. • z. 

miseof the life that now morrow b (for the passing wants of a future day), which 
Sme d °i t£ 1^ ' S to wou ld on ty oe increasing your present anxieties; for the 
. m morrow shall make you take thought for the things of itself ; 

b To-morrow we die. .... 

i Cor. xv. 32. it will have its own requirements and will also, with God s 

c Thou art inexcusable, blessing, bring with it the needful provision for them. Sufn- 
St Tat W judged th for cient unto the Posing day is the evil (the trouble) thereof. 

wherein thou judgest an- 
other, thou condemnest 

thyself. Rom. ii. 1. Of charitable Judgment, and Christian Liberality. 

Who art thou, that 

judgest another man's ser- Judge not c (42) censoriously or uncharitably of other men. 

vant? To his own master ° f J J ' 

he standethorfaiieth . . . and so, when your time of trial comes, ye shall not be 
Ser? St for°we U shdi^u judged with severity : for with what judgment ye judge, ye 
stand before the judgment sna ii b e j ua v e d of God. Condemn not others, and ye shall 

seat of Christ. Rom. xiv. . ■ . ' 

4, io. not be condemned: but rather forgive, judging in all things 

who iTabie 0 ^ save 5 aiS f or t ne best, and ye shall be forgiven. — And to your can- 
tLtju^es^InotheV? ^ our ™ j u ^9 m 9 oiners add the kindled virtue of liberality: 
iv. 12. give freely according to your ability, and then it shall be 



there is a species called the Amaryllis lutea, re- 
markable for its beauty and profusion, which in 
autumn covers the entire face of the country. 
These flowers are described as grass, because 
the Hebrews divided the whole vegetable world 
into trees and herbs, the latter of course in- 
cluding grass and flowers. The two expressions 
are used as synonymous at Isa. xl. 6. — The 



withered stalks of flowers were used to heat 
ovens, on account of a scarcity of fuel in Eastern 
countries. 

( 42 ) Judge not.] This clearly cannot have 
any reference to the public administration of Jus- 
tice, because on several occasions our Lord 
acknowledged that to be both lawful and ne- 
cessary. 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 97 

given unto you ; good (full and fair) measure, — pressed 
down, and shaken together, and running over (full even to 
overflow), — shall men through God's disposal give into your 
bosom (43) (your lap). — For with the same measure that ye 
mete withal (by the same rule which ye apply to others), it 
shall be measured to you again d by the even-handed justice d As i have done, so 

God hath requited me. 
Of God. Judg. i. 7. 

And He spake a parable (a proverb or similitude) unto ^ 
them, urqinq them to adorn this doctrine by their practice, "»giy; and he which 

_ ' * , J . . li . 7 . n 7 soweth bountifully shall 

and warning them against the prevailing errors of the reap also bountifully. 2 
Jewish teachers: Can the blind lead the blind? shall Corix - 6 - 
they not certainly both fall into the ditch ? The disciple 
is not usually above his master (his teacher), and cannot be 
expected to surpass hint, in attainments — so that if the 
watchman who leads be blind, the follower will be likely to 
participate in the effects of that blindness : but every one 
that is perfect and has been thoroughly instructed, shall 
resemble and perchance be fully advanced as his master.— 
You must not then expect that your rebuke of a neigh- 
bour will have any weight or effect if you be deficient 
yourself: And, therefore, I say to such a person, Why 
beholdest thou the mote (How is it that thou art so quick 
to discover the little splinter) that is in thy brother's eye, 
but perceivest not the beam (the much larger object) that 
is in thine own eye ? Either how, with any appearance of 
justice, canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me 
pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself 
beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou c Thou therefore which 
hypocrite ! e cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, Ao?n^hySf^ c S 
and then shalt thou see clearly how to pull out the mote that that preachest a man 

. . .it,!, ,7 7 7 should not steal, dost thou 

is m thy brothers eye. Discover, then, and amend your oivn steal? thou that sayest a 
glaring faults first; and when this is done, experience S^SLTL!^ 
will render you better able, and you will also be disposed ™ it 3 | dulter y ? Rom - 
with more tenderness and charity, to correct the infirmities 
of other men. 

Circumspection needful in teaching the Gospel. 

In your teaching bear in mind this proverb : Give not 
that which is holy unto the dogs, lest they turn again and 
rend you : exercise due caution in your religious admo- . 

... j, ' „ 7 7 , . j 7 f It is happened unto 

nition of the profane, ivho may only spurn advice, and be them according to the P ro- 
the more exasperated to persecute you. Neither cast ye hSo'^m v^ftlgSnfaiS 
your pearls before swine/ lest they trample them under ^ sow that was washed 

" . 1 p J r to her wallowing in the 

their feet : press not holy mysteries upon those who are mire. 1 Pet. a. 22. 



( 43 ) Into your bosom.] This is an allusion to 
the long mantles which the Jews and other 
Orientals wore. Their mantles were girded with 
a girdle, and had large outer folds, the bosom or 
front part being so capacious as to admit of re- 
ceiving a measure of corn or any other dry 



article. The common people were accustomed 
so to use them (see 2 Kings iv. 39 ; Ruth iii. 15 ; 
Ps. lxxix. 12; Prov. vi. 27).— Thus also Livy 
(xxi. 18), sinus ex toga J uctus ; and Horace (Sat. ii. 
3, 71), nuces queferre sinu laxo. The same allu- 
sion occurs in Greek writers, as at Herodot. vi. 125, 

H 



98 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



obstinately and blindly immersed in sensual indulgences ; 
upon such men holy things would only be thrown away, and 
their intrinsic value neither regarded nor perceived. 



The Way op Life is narrow. 

Enter ye in {Strive ye to enter in) at the strait {the 
narrow) gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way 
that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in 
thereat : because strait (how strait, Marg.) is the gate 
and narrow is the way which leadeth unto Life Eternal, and 
how few there be that are able to find it ! My disciples 
should regard this life as a journey : the road to death and 
the soul's perdition is that great highway frequented by 
the wicked and worldly-minded ; while the path heaven- 
wards is narrow, steep, and retired — along which a few 
solitary pilgrims are seen threading their ivay with difficulty, 
and only after renewed exertions, aided by a strength not 
their own, attaining the termination of it at last. 



The true Christian known by his Obedience. 

« Now I beseech you, Beware of false prophets s {false teachers), which come 
tSchTauseXisioJ^nd to Y ou > as t ne 9°°d old prophets were accustomed to appear, 
offences contrary to the m sheep's clothinp: ; having an outward form of godliness, 

doctrine which ye have , . . 1 ° 7 * 7 # -iu «/ * 

learned, and avoid them, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. h Ye shall be able 

R °Beioved! 7 beiieve not to know them by their fruits 5 determining their professions 

spSts whethe? they "are of ^ their practice —just as every tree is known, not by 

God : because many false leaves, nor bark, nor blossom, but by his own fruit. Do men 

§ie P worid! re fXim iv"£ gather grapes of {from) thorns, or figs of {from) thistles? 

h 1 know this, that after [For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble 

my departing shall griev- g a th e r they grapes, Luke]. Even so every good 

ous wolves enter m among ° t j o i ^ s ./ o 

you, not sparing the flock, tree bringeth forth goo J fruit, but a corrupt tree {a tree 
worn out, or of an inferior Quality) bringeth forth evil fruit. 
A good tree, so long as its quality lasts, cannot bring 
forth evil fruit ; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good 
fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is 
hewn down and cast into the fire. (44) Wherefore by their 
fruits ye shall know them. A good man, out of the good 
treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is good ; 
and an evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart, bring- 
eth forth that which is evil : for out of the abundance of 
the heart his mouth speaketh. 

And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the 
things which I say ? Not every one that with his lips only 



Acts xx. 29. 



(« 4 ) Every tree that bringeth not forth good 
fruit, 4" c «l I* is generally admitted that these 
words of the Baptist (occurring Matt. iii. 10) 
are an interpolation from the earlier chapter of 
that Evangelist. Yet they present an appro- 



priate and awful admonition, well connected here 
with the subject ; and our Lord has twice intro- 
duced the same sentiment in another of His dis- 
courses (John xv. 2, 6). 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



99 



saith unto Me, Lord, Lord/ 45 ) shall enter into the kingdom 
of heaven, attaining to that future state of happiness and 
glory which shall succeed the Messiah's reign on earth, — 

but he alone shall have this reward that by his obedience , XT . , 

a t 1 Not the hearers of the 

proves his faith to be genuine, and habitually doeth the will law are just before God, 

of My Father which is in heaven. 1 Many will say to S h a n be justified, iw 

Me in that Last Day, when all must be either received or Be ye doers of the word 

rejected, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied and preached and not hearers oniy.de- 

.j sy 7 • rm rsR\ i i m* • , i • ceiving your own selves. 

the Gospel m lhy name (46) and by Tny authority, and m j a s. i. 22. 



( 45 ) Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, 
Lord.] Men have been ever prone to entertain 
the dangerous dogma, that if they do but believe, 
it is of no great consequence how they live ; and, in 
some schemes of theology, Obedience is so placed, 
as though it were merely the unavoidable conse- 
quence of Faith (omitting to define that such 
Faith must be "true and lively"), — as something 
altogether subordinate to, rather than connatural 
and contemporaneous with it. — It must be al- 
lowed that, in some parts of St. Paul's Epistles, 
a certain stress appears to be laid upon Faith, 
(over and above the other parts of a religious 
character), in our Justification ; and this seems to 
be, because the Gospel is pre-eminently a Cove- 
nant of Grace : Faith is so far of the higher 
character as peculiarly confessing to this ; it is 
the frame of mind especially befitting sinners, 
and is said in a special way to justify us, because 
it glorifies God — witnessing that He accepts 
those, and those only, who feel their unworthiness 
of acceptance. But although Faith may seem to 
have, in St. Paul's writings, a certain prerogative 
of dignity, we must not forget that the more 
usual mode of doctrine, both with respect to our 
Lord (as shown throughout this Sermon on the 
Mount) and to His Apostles, is, to refer our 
acceptance to Obedience to the Commandments ; 
and this manifestly, lest, in contemplating God's 
grace, we should forget our own duties. St. 
Paul himself, in frequent passages, corrects any 
misapprehension of his doctrine : at Heb. iii. 12, 
he uses unbelief and disobedience equivalently ; 
at Rom. i. 5, he calls the belief of the Gospel 
" obedience to the faith" (see also Rom. x. 4) ; 
and by comparing 1 Tim. iv. 10 with Heb. v. 9, 
we find, that, while Christ is represented in the 
former as "the Saviour of them that believe," 
He is said, in the latter, to be " the Author of 
eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him." 
— It is certain that, from a misapprehension of 
this Apostle's doctrine of Justification, flowed an 
extreme corruption of manners among certain 
sects of Christians in the first ages; and it was 
in order to guard the faithful against such per- 
nicious errors, that the Seven Epistles called 
" Catholic" or General were afterwards written. 
St. J ude closes them with an earnest exhortation 
to contend for the faith once delivered to the 
Saints, especially marking out, as ordained for 
condemnation, those who wrested the doctrines 
of the Gospel as an apology for ungodliness ( Jude 
3, 4). — When, therefore, St. Paul says, that 
man is " justified by faith without the works of 
the Law," we are to understand him to mean 
gratuitously on account of Christ's merits, — and 
not meritoriously by obedience to any law what- 
ever. We are to apply that pardon to ourselves 
through faith. Faith is clearly the foundation, 



because " Works done before the grace of God, 
and the inspiration of His Spirit, are not plea- 
sant to God, as they spring not of faith in Jesus 
Christ" (Art. 1 3). Yet though Works are plainly 
not the meritorious cause, nor a meritorious eause 
of our Justification, we must take care not to 
attribute it to some efficacy in Faith which is not 
in Works, since both are excluded from any me- 
ritorious efficiency in the matter. Faith is itself 
but a work : so St. Paul speaks of " the work 
of faith," and St. John calls it " the work which 
God hath commanded." — It is urged that Faith 
alone is necessary to Justification, because thereby 
we lay hold on the righteousness of Christ, and 
receive it by imputation 1 but no sueh operation 
of Faith is taught in Scripture, neither is it any- 
where said that Christ's righteousness is im- 
puted to believers. What the Scripture does 
say is this, that the believer's faith is imputed 
or counted to him for righteousness. In the pas- 
sage which is so often put forward from St. Paul, 
Rom. iv. 22, the Apostle does not say that 
Abraham was saved by a righteousness not his 
own being imputed to him ; but that the true 
and lively faith of that patriarch was reckoned 
to him instead of perfect obedience to the Law. 
And again, at Phil. iii. 9, the righteousness which 
the Apostle so emphatically renounces is a legal 
and pharisaical righteousness, not " that righte- 
ousness which is through the faith of Christ:" 
he opposes an outward, natural righteousness 
to that which is inward, and wrought by the 
Spirit of God.— -The doctrine of " Faith alone" 
should be guarded with circumspection, and 
again and again explained to be ineffectual with- 
out the fruits of Holiness. It is lamentable that 
by many it should be inculcated so exclusively, 
as to disparage, if not to condemn, the Christian 
virtues — in utter disregard of St. Paul's solemn 
instruction to all Ministers of Christ: "This I 
will that thou affirm constantly, that they which 
have believed be careful to maintain Good Works" 
Chillingworth, in his Religion of Protestants (vii. 
32), writes to the same effect: — "For my part, 
I do heartily wish, that by Public Authority it 
were so ordered, that no man should ever preach, 
or print, this doctrine, ' That Faith alone justi- 
fies,' unless he joins this together with it, ' That 
Universal Obedience is necessary to Salvation.'" 
( 4 ' 3 ) Have we not prophesied in Thy name?) 
That bad men may be employed in the work of 
Christ, we know from the case of Balaam, who 
uttered true prophecies under the Old Covenant ; 
andby that of Judas, who had equal power with the 
twelve to heal diseases under the New (see Sec- 
tion CHI., Note 4). There is no necessary con- 
nection between great powers and moral cha- 
racter, and God may employ whatever agency 
He may choose to carry forward his purposes. 

H 2 



100 



THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. 



the power of Thy name cast out devils, and in Thy name 
done many wonderful {miraculous) works ? And then will 
I profess unto them, I never knew you (/ will declare unto 
them plainly, I never acknowledged you as Mine) ; depart 

k Depart from Me, all from Me, ye that work {that practise) iniquity ! k 
ye workers of iniquity. Therefore, hear the conclusion of the whole matter : 

The Lord knoweth Whosoever cometh to Me, and heareth these savings of 

them that are His. Let _ ,. J 3 

every one that nameth the Mine, and doeth them, 1 will shew you to whom he is 
from^niquity! 1 "! Tim\7i! like. ^ e is like a wise man which built an house, and 
19, digged deep, and laid his foundation on a rock : and the 

rain descended and the floods came (47) and the winds blew, 
and the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and yet 
could not shake it ; it fell not, for it was founded upon 
a rock. — And every one that heareth these sayings of 
Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish 
man which built his house upon the shifting sand, — with- 
out a foundation, on the earth : and the rain descended, 
and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat vehe- 
mently upon that house; and immediately it fell, and 
great was the fall of it, and the ruin that ensued was great. 

And it came to pass when Jesus had ended all these 
sayings, that the people were astonished at His doctrine : 
» And they were aston- for He taught them as One having Divine authority 1 (48) — 
ms tord^as with power! ra ther as the enacter than an interpreter of God's Law — and 
Luke iv. 32. no fc as t ne S cr ib es who, in support of their vain disputes 

ss ever man spake like 7> ' ... 

this Man. John vii. 46. and their unscriptwal traditions, appealed only to human 
authority. 



' ( 47 ) The rain descended and the floods came.] 
In Judea the rains were very violent, and, in the 
hilly country, formed into torrents which resem- 
bled rivers. Even houses could not resist their im- 
petuous course on their way to the plains, unless 
very securely built. — The application of this 
instructive story is easy: We must build for 
Eternity: amidst the storms of life we must 
have a secure foundation upon which to rest. 
None will be accepted on account of their zeal, 
or their rare and wonderful gifts, or even their 
faith, if they are " workers of iniquity. " We must 
first come to Christ; next we must attentively 
hear His sayings; and then we must do them. 

( 48 ) He taught them as One having authority.] 
We find our Saviour's teaching often introduced 
with the announcement, "/ say unto you;" and 
some of His solemn admonitions with words yet 
more impressive : " He that hath ears to hear, 
let him hear ; heaven and earth shall pass away, 
but My words shall not pass away." Such ex- 
pressions (never employed before, or since,) 
show a consciousness of His dignity and high 
office. — But our Lord's Teaching was remarkable 
in many respects: — It was eminently spiritual, 
opposed to merely-formal righteousness, as we 
see throughout this Sermon. — His beautiful 
illustrations are commonly taken from such 
natural objects, or simple occasions, as chanced 
to present themselves : — Thus, He summons His 
first converts, engaged in their fishing trade, to 
the nobler task of drawing men within the net 



of the Gospel ; at Jacob's well, and again with 
allusion to the pool at Siloam, He describes the 
Gift of the Spirit as Living Water ; to the mul- 
titude who came to Him for bread He makes 
known the True Bread of Life; upon meeting 
with a blind man, He proclaims the spiritual 
Light of the world ; and after partaking of the 
fruit of the vine for the last time, He declares 
that He is the True Vine. — Gradual progression 
is another striking characteristic : — The higher 
mysteries of the Faith are preceded by elemen- 
tary truths ; first, repentance, and correction of 
errors ; then, union with God, the Priesthood of 
Christ, with the Promise of the Holy Spirit ; 
while not until after the Resurrection are other 
mysteries plainly declared, such as, the abroga- 
tion of the ceremonial law, the rejection of the 
Jews, and call of the Gentiles. — Some omissions 
have been noticed in our Lord's teaching: — 
Little, indeed, is said against idolatry, profana- 
tion of the Sabbath, or usury ; but we are to bear 
in mind that the wickedness of those times did 
not take any one of those directions. — There 
could not be a more happy method than has 
been actually preserved. Throughout the whole 
course of the Divine Teaching, we find (what men 
most wanted) principles of action furnished, 
rather than precise and definite rules : it is very 
far removed from the formality of burdensome 
directions for the minute details of daily conduct, 
and yet it stands equally distant from the vague 
and inapplicable generalities of abstract theory. 



101 



SECTION XLII. 

The Centurion^s Servant healed at Capernaum, 
Matt. viii. 1, 5—13. Luke vii. 1 — 10. 



NOW when Jesus had ended all His sayings in the 
audience (the hearing) of the people, and when He 
was come down from the mountain, great multitudes fol- 
lowed Him ; and He entered again into Capernaum. And 
a certain Centurion^s servant/ 1 \ who was dear (a valuable 
servant) unto him, was sick, and ready to die. And when 
he (the Centurion) heard of Jesus, — -who had at a distance 
cured a nobleman's son of this same town, — he sent unto 
Him the elders of the Jews [he came unto Him, (2) Matt, 
— or, approached Him by petition through the elders], 
beseeching Him that He would come and heal his ser- 
vant ; and saying, Lord, my servant lieth quite disabled 
at home, sick of the palsy, and grievously tormented. 
And when they came to Jesus and had delivered this mes- 
sage, they besought Him instantly (earnestly), saying, that 
he was worthy of the favour for whom He should do this : 
for, added they, he loveth our nation, and he hath, at his 
own charge, built us a synagogue. And Jesus saith unto 
him (or, sent him word), I will come and heal him. — Then 



Jesus went with them. 



And when He was now not far from the house, the 
Centurion sent forward friends to meet Him ; and at length 
coming up answered for himself and said, Lord, trouble not 
Thyself to come further, for I am not worthy that Thou 
shouldest enter under my roof : wherefore neither thought 
I myself at first worthy to come unto Thee ; but speak the 
word only [say in a word, Luke], and my servant shall be 
healed. For I also am a man set (placed) under the autho- 
rity of a Tribune, my superior officer, having in like manner 
soldiers under me, obedient to my command : And I say to 



(') A certain Centurion' s servant.'] The Cen- 
turions were Roman military officers, having (as 
the name implies) the command of a company 
consisting of a hundred men. They were sta- 
tioned in the different towns of the provinces to 
preserve order. This centurion was no doubt a 
Pagan by birth, and had become a proselyte. 
That he should promote the erection of a syna- 
gogue was not strange, as Augustus published a 
decree in favour of these places of worship, 
praising them highly as schools of wisdom and 
virtue. — It is remarkable that this is not the 
only Centurion whose praise is in the Gospel. 
The just and devout Cornelius was selected to be 
the first-fruits of the Gentile harvest; a Cen- 
turion preserved the life of Paul ; and a Cen- 
turion declared of the dying Jesus, when deserted 



■ 

: 

- 

mo\ S1JJ093 & avfiif 
qsoojs sd Whr onoVl 
7 baa exM itedi io 
>w " oib yadt \) t riiis't 

! 



by His friends, and rejected by His nation, that 
He was the Son of God. 

( 2 ) He came unto Him.'] The Jews have a 
saying, "The messenger of a man is as himself;" 
and the Greeks and Romans were accustomed to 
represent that which was done by any one for 
another as done by the person himself; "Quod 
facit per alium, facit per se." This accounts for 
the seeming difference in this place between the 
narratives of St. Matthew and St. Luke. In 
Scripture this mode of speaking is frequent : 
thus Solomon speaks by his servants (1 Kings v. 
2, 7) ; and J ohn the Baptist by his messengers 
(Matt. xL 2, 3) ; Christ preached to the Ephe- 
sians by the Apostles (Eph. ii. 17), and to the 
old world by Noah (1 Pet. hi. 19). He is also 
said to baptize by His disciples (John iv. 1, 2) 



102 



THE CENTURION'S SERVANT HEALED. 



this man [unto one, Luke], Go, and he goeth; and to 
another, Come, and he cometh ; and to my servant, Do this, 
and he doeth it : much more canst Thou, who art subject to 
no authority present or absent, require implicit obedience, 
commanding Disease itself to come and go at Thy word. 
— When Jesus heard these things, He marvelled [was struck 
with admiration) at him ; and turned Him about, and said 
unto the people that had followed Him from Capernaum, 
Verily I say unto you, I have not yet found so great faith 
(such confidence in My Divine power) as is manifested by 
this Gentile — no, not in Israel ! And I say unto you, That 

from^erSngSSun ver y man y °f the Gentiles sna11 com e from the east and 

and from the west, that west, a — even from the most distant parts of the earth, — and 

isa^xiv.e 0116 S1 6 6 shall sit down^ 3 ^ with Abraham, b and Isaac, and Jacob, 

i> Know ye therefore m tne Kingdom of Heaven, becoming the adopted of God 

tbat they which are of through Faith. But the Jews, the children of the King- 

faith, the same are the 17 7 ° 

children of Abraham, dom, shall be cast out into outer darkness : there shall be 

among them weeping and gnashing of teeth. 0 
ing T Sd e Ashing *tf And Jesus said unt0 tn e Centurion, Go thy way ; and 
teeth, when ye shall see as tnou hast believed, so be it done unto thee on behalf of 

yourselves thrust out: and ait- • 

they shall come from the thy servant. And his servant was healed in the self-same 
and' from thTnorJh, \td hour (at that very instant) . And they that were sent, 
from the south, and shall ^turning to the house, found the servant that had been 

sit down in the kingdom ° 7 

of God. Luke xiii. 28, 29. sick, perfectly whole. 



SECTION XLIIL 
A Widow^s Son restored to life at Nain. 
Mark iii. 19—21. Luke vii. 11—1 7. 

AND, after the healing of the Centurion's servant, they 
went into an house at Capemawn, in which He usually 
resided. And the multitude cometh together again round 
about it, so that they (Jesus and His disciples) could not so 
much as eat bread at leisure. And when His friends 
(His kinsmen, Marg.) heard of it, they went out after 
Him to lay hold on Him, and to urge His keeping more in 
private; for they said, He is beside Himself, (1 ) and His 
anxiety to teach will impair His health. 



( 3 ) Shall sit doivn. ] This is an allusion to a 
banquet. The sacred writers frequently describe 
the enjoyments of heaven under the similitude 
of a feast (see Matt. xxii. 2 — 4 ; Luke xiv. 15; 
xxii. 30; Rev. xix. 9). — The entertainments 
of the Jews were usually at night, and hence the 
" outer darkness" represents a place the furthest 
removed from the brilliant light of the banquet- 
ting room. The children of Abraham after the 
flesh would mourn, and, as it were, gnash their 
teeth from vexation and envy at their exclusion 



from the heavenly banquet, which they imagined 
had been provided only for themselves. 

('•) He is beside Himself.'] These words in our 
translation would seem to imply the sense " He 
is mad ; " but the Greek may fairly be rendered 
" He is faint by spending His spirits." If the 
former sense is preferred, the observation must 
be restricted to those of His kinsmen who did 
not yet believe in Him, according to John 
vii. 5. 



THE WIDOW'S SON RAISED. 



103 



And it came to pass, the day after, that He went into a 
city of Galilee, called Nain ; (2) and many of His disciples 
and much people went with Him. Now when He came 
nigh to the gate of the city, — which was commonly with 
the Jews a place of much public resort, — behold, there was 
a dead man carried out, PJ who was the only son of his 
mother, and she was a widow — now left utterly destitute. 
And, in consequence of so severe a stroke of affliction, much 
people of the city was with her, following the corpse with 
sympathy and respect. And when the Lord saw her, He 
had compassion on her; and without any solicitation on 
her behalf, said unto her, Weep not, for I bring you con- 
solation and relief. And then He came near, and, that He 
might stop the bearers, touched with dignity the bier (the 
coffin, Mabg.) upon which the body lay : and they that 
bare him stood still. And He said, Young man, I say 
unto thee, Arise. And immediately at the word of the 
Lord of Life, he that was dead sat up ; and, awakened to 
the full use of his faculties, began to speak w — an unde- 
niable evidence to the bystanders that he was really alive. 

And He graciously delivered him to his mother. And 
there came a fear {religious awe) on them all: and they 
glorified God, saying, That a Great Prophet is risen up 
among us ; a and they added, in the language of Prophecy, 
That God hath visited His ancient people, b — showing to 
them, first, this peculiar honour. And this rumour of Him, 
— that He was the Prophet promised through Moses,— 
went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the 
resrion round about. 



a Jesus of Nazareth, 
which -was a Prophet 
mighty in deed and word 
before God and all the 
people. Luke xsiv. 19. 

Then those men, when 
they saw the miracle 
which Jesus did, said, This 
is of a truth that Prophet 
that should come into the 
world. John vi. 14. 

b The Lord of hosts 
hath visited His flock, the 
house of Judah. Zech. 
x. 3. 

Blessed he the Lord 
God of Israel, for He 
hath visited and redeemed 
His people, Luke L 68. 



( 2 ) A city called Nain.] This place, now 
called ISTein, situated near Mount Tabor, has 
dwindled to a small hamlet, occupied at most by 
a few families. 

( 3 ) A dead man carried out.] The custom of 
interring the dead beyond the walls of cities or 
towns was common among the ancients. With 
the Gentiles, the practice was adopted in order 
to prevent infection ; with the Jews, because 
they considered dead bodies as unclean ; and as 
the latter were unwilling to molest graves already 
made, their cemeteries could not be contained 
within the walls. This rule appears, however, 
to have been set aside in the case of kings and 
distinguished persons (see 1 Sam. xxviii. 3 ; 
2 Kings xxi. 18). 



( 4 ) And he thai was dead sat up and began 
to speak.] This is the first instance in which 
our Saviour raised the dead : it is one of the 
greatest proofs of Divinity, for the keys of life 
and death can only be in the hands of the Al- 
mighty Creator of the world. The Pagan Pliny 
imagined it a thing impossible for any of bis 
gods to effect; and the infidel Porphyry declared 
that if he could credit one instance of it in the 
life of Jesus, he would renounce his unbelief. 
It is observable that the authoritative formula 
adopted by our Lord, "/say unto thee, Arise," 
was never before or afterwards used by any pro- 
phet or messenger of God. 



104 



SECTION XLIV. 

The Baptises disciples visit Jesus; who afterwards bears 
honourable testimony to john. and at the same time re- 
proves that generation. 

Matt. xi. 2—19. Luke vii. 18—35. 

And they (John's dis- A ND the disciples of John, influenced either by jealousy, 

Sd! S Rabw!He > that was or ty their doubts as to the authority of Jesus, shewed 

to whSrShMeSlS llim ( their master ) of ^ these wonderful things a — for they 

ness, behold the same were allowed access to the prison where he had been con* 

cometoHiT^Johnm 1 ^ fined by Herod. Now when John had heard from them in 

b The sceptre shall not ^ e prison of the works of Christ, he, calling unto him two 

depart from Judah until 0 f di sc ipl e s, sent them, for their own satisfaction and 

Shiloh come. Gen. xhx. 1 * • , 

10. conviction, to Jesus; saying (to say) unto Him, in their 

sioL^Ind 1 £hoXdf h oS Master's name, Art Thou e He that should come/ b or do 

hie the Son of man came. w£ f Qr ano ther t» tilffif character? 
Dan. vn. 13. 

For the vision is yet for Accordingly, when the men were come unto Him. they 

ae^k'shaSTpe^and said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto Thee, saving, Art 

wl H feit T SslS^ 111011 ' He that shoul(i come / or look we for another?— 
sureir come. Hah. h. 3. Xnd in the same hour it happened that He cured in their 

This is of a truth that . . . . 

Prophet that should come presence manv — sowe oi tneir mnrmities and plasties, and 

into the world. John vi. q{ ^ . ^ unt() ^ ^ ^ were blind Re 

T . , , „ ■ . gave sight. Then, ?^7ze« iJe 7zc^ cured all, Jesus answered 

e In that day shall the ° _ ° 

deaf hear, and the eves of and said unto them, Go your wav, and shew John again [tell 

the blind shall see. Isa. T , T i a\. ^.-u' i_- -l j i j m 

sxix. is. John, Luke] those things which ye do hear and see:^ ) 

biiId h shaS^be% e eneta^d e *■ wil1 teach V ou tU of su ch events, and prove 

the ears of the deaf shall to you, fro?7i the declarations of Prophecy, who and what I 

be unstopped, then shall 9 ' J •, i i 

the lame man leap as an am : as you have heard, even the lepers are cleansed and 

Sr^!^^ the dead are raised up; while, as you now see, the blind 

5 > 6 - receive their sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear; c and 

d The poor among men the poor, — even the meanest of the people, — have the Gos- 

One of e israei. m isa. xsdi pel preached unto them. d ^ : And carry back with you 

19 The Spirit of the Lord f or V our edification this solemn assurance : Blessed is he 

God is upon Me, because whosoever shall n ot be offended in Me e — whom ?io pre- 

the Lord hath anointed 

Me to preach the Good Tidings unto the meek. Isa. hd. L — Thou, 0 God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the 
poor : the Lord gave the word : great was the company of the preachers. Ps. lxviii. 10, 11. 

e He shall be for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence .... and many among them shall stumble 
and tall. Isa. viii. 14, 15. — And when He was come into His own country, they said, Whence hath this man 
this wisdom and these mighty works ? Is not this the carpenter's son ? . . . . And they were offended in Him. 
Matt. xiii. 54 — 57. — And Simeon said. This Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a 
sign which shall be spoken against. Luke ii. 34.— From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked 
no more with Him. John vi. 66. — W T e preach Christ crucified ; unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the 
Greeks foolishness. 1 Cor. i. 23. — A stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to them which stumble at the 
Wurd, being disobedient. 1 Pet. ii. 8. 



(*) Those things which ye do hear and see,~\ 
The circumstance that "John wrought no mi- 
racle" would render the evidence derived from 
our Lord's astonishing works more decisive — 
especially since such miracles as the disciples of 
John witnessed, had been predicted by the same 
Prophet who had described their master's pre- 
paratory ministry (see in the Margin ; also Isa. 
xl 3). 

( 2 ) The poor have the Gospel preached to the?n.] 



The particular passage of Isaiah here referred 
to, according to our translation, represents the 
Saviour as " preaching Good Tidings to the 
meek;" but the Hebrew word rendered meek, 
more properly signifies one in a low and afflicted 
condition. The preaching to the poor was a pe- 
culiar feature of Christianity, as distinguished 
both from Judaism and Heathenism, whose 
priests and philosophers courted the rich, and 
despised the poor (see John vii. 49). 



JESUS BEARS TESTIMONY TO THE BAPTIST. 



105 



judices of any kind cause to stumble in receiving Me as his 
Saviour. 

And when the messengers of John were departed [as 
they departed, Matt.], Jesus began to speak unto the 
people concerning John, — lest the Baptist? s former testimony 
of Him should be prejudiced by the inquiry which had been 
directed: When ye went to be baptized of John, what went 
ye out into the wilderness for to see ? Was it to see a 
preacher wavering in his testimony, turning this way and 
that, like a reed shaken with the wind ? f But, if it was 
not this, what went ye out for to see ? Was it to see a man 
effeminately clothed in soft raiment, — a courtier and flat- 
terer, delivering a self-indulgent doctrine rather than the plain 
truth ? Behold they which are gorgeously apparelled, 
and live delicately luxuriously), are in kings* courts [kings* 
houses, Matt.], and are not to be looked for in deserts. 
But what then went ye out for to see ? Was it to see a 
Prophet? You will reply that it was; and in that your 
apprehensions of the Baptist's character were correct ; yea 
I say unto you, and one that is much more than (very 
superior to) a Prophet; for the doctrine of John teas more 
Evangelical than that of any Prophet who preceded him, 
while his office has been trans cendently more honourable in 
foretelling the immediate approach of the Messiah and 
preparing His way. For this is he of whom it is written, 
Behold I send My Messenger before Thy face, 

WHICH SHALL PREPARE THY WAY BEFORE THEE ^ 

(see Mai. hi. 1). Verily, I say unto you, among those 
holy men that are born of women there hath not risen a 
greater? prophet than John the Baptist : notwithstanding 
he that is least in the kingdom of heaven (the least prophet 
or preacher under the Gospel dispensation) is greater than he; 
— future ministers will be greater in respect to the objects 
of their ministry, though not in individual character : their 
doctrine will be more complete; they shall for a time possess 
tJie poiver of working miracles; and hereafter the gift of the 
Holy Spirit is to be bestowed in fuller measure. And all the 
common people that heard him '*) (John) while he executed 
his ministry, and even the publicans, justified God (acknow- 
ledged the Almighty justice and wisdom in so calling them 



{ That we henceforth 
he no more children, tos- 
sed to and fi»j and carried 
about with every wind of 
doctrine. Eph. iv. 14. 

He that wavereth is 
like a wave of the sea, 
driven with the wind and 
tossed. Jas. L 6. 



g He (John) shall be 
great in the sight of the 
Lord. Luke i. 15. 



A reed shaken with the ivind.] The simple 
sense of this passage, which is preferred by a 
few good Commentators, would run thus : — 
" Surely you did not go into the Wilderness to 
behold any trifling object — such as a reed shaken 
ly the wind? which you would no doubt see in 
such a place, but would scarcely go so far to see." 
An antithesis then follows; — " Or went you out 
to see a rich man, clothed in soft and sumptuous 
apparel 1 a sight which you would indeed go to 
see, but which you were not likely to find in a 
wilderness." 

( 3 ) Which shall prepare Thy way before Thee.] 



j In Malachi it is "before Me'* from which it 
; appears that Christ is One with the Father, and 
i His coming into the world is, in fact, the coming 
| of God Himself. — In the words that follow, 
I "Among them born of women, there hath not 
risen a greater than John the Baptist," a word is 
employed in the original which leaves an excep- 
tion in favour of our Lord, as being born of a 
Virgin, 

( 4 ) And all the people that heard Him, cjfc] 
These are clearly our Lord's (not the Evangel- 
ist's) words respecting the Baptist, who was now 
in prison, and could not baptize the people. 



106 THAT GENERATION IS REPROVED. 

to repentance), being baptized with the baptism of John : 
but many of the Pharisees and lawyers rejected {frus- 
trated and made of no effect) the Counsel of God (6 ) against 
{in regard to) themselves, not being baptized of him ; for, 
offended at the Baptist's plain-dealing, they still " trusted 
in themselves that they were righteous " and needed no re- 
pentance. And from the days of the ministry of John the 
h We wrestle against Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven as it were suffer- 
ers^^gSnsTtheTifers Z'{ e th violence,* 1 and the violent, — those intruders, as the pub- 
the darkness of this n cms an d sinners were deemed to be,~ take it by force from 

world, against spiritual 3 j J 

wickedness in high places, the learned and the worldly - great. For all the Prophets and 
the Law prophesied of the Messiah, and were the objects 
most worthy of faith and acceptance ; until John, plainly 
announcing the Lamb of God, disclosed a more sublime and 
perfect system of Revelation, admitting all alike within its 
s Behold i will send P&fe* u since that time the Kingdom of God is preached, and 

you Elijah the Prophet every man presseth into it" {Luke xvi. 16). And if ye 

K etore the coming of the . , . J 

reat and dreadful day of will receive it (will credit what I say), instead of adhering 
His discip a ie S 1V ' asked t° V our vain tradition that Elias shall come in person, this 
fe^Stfcit 8 ^ special Messenger is that very Elias which was for to come* 
AndJesus answered th^m^ as the Messiah's forerunner, — even to restore all things in 
come and restore all the spirit and power of that Prophet. He that hath ears 
you 8 that b EiiL *\J come to near ^is important declaration, let him attentively hear 
already ; and they knew an d embrace it as a certain truth. 

him not, but have done » n i T i • t 7 

unto him whatsoever they And the Lord said also to them on this occasion, Where- 

S^d^tSd&Sm^e unt0 tnen sna11 1 liken (7) the men of tnis P^verse gene- 
unto them of John the ra ti 0 n, and to what are they like? They are like unto 

Baptist. Matt. xvu. 10 . J J 

—is. {their conduct may be illustrated by that of) children, 

sitting at play in the market-place, and calling one to 
another (unto their fellows), and querulously saying, We 
have piped unto you< 8) as at a feast, and ye have not 
danced ; we have mourned {we have sung mournful songs) 
to you as at a funeral, and ye have not wept nor lamented : 
you will neither join us in mirth, nor in sadness. The like 
perverseness is yours : for John came, as a Prophet preach- 
k And his (the Baptist's) fag repentance, neither eating bread nor drinking wine k 

meat was locusts and wild 

honey. Matt. hi. 4. like other men, and ye say he hath a devil (is possessed 



( 5 ) Lawyers.] These interpreters of the Law 
appear to have been the same order of men as 
the scribes, though there was some difference in 
their teaching. It is supposed they adhered 
more closely to the traditions, and perhaps taught 
in private, or in the schools, instead of speaking 
in public. 

( 6 ) The Counsel of God.~\ This description of 
the Gospel gives us the grandest idea of it pos- 
sible ; and since the Gospel is nothing less than 
the result of the deep consideration and deli- 
beration of God, the crime of men's rejecting it 
cannot but be very great. 

( 7 ) Whereunto then shall I liken 2] This was 
a customary phrase among the Jews when intro- 
ducing a parable. 



( 8 ) We have piped unto you, <|-c] It was 
usual at feasts to have music of a lively kind, 
accompanied with dancing (see Matt. xiv. 6 ; 
Luke xv. 25). At their funerals persons were 
hired to make lamentations (see Matt. ix. 23) ; 
so Josephus mentions that, upon a report of his 
own death, his friends hired " minstrels" to lead 
the lamentations. — These customs were imitated 
by the children in their diversions ; and if any of 
the party refused to join in the game chosen, 
neither liking what was lively nor grave, the rest 
would naturally complain, and probably were in 
the habit of using some such proverbial expres- 
sions as occur here in the text. 



WISDOM JUSTIFIED. 



107 



ivith some evil spirit and acts like one who is mad) : The 1 T And h came to pa*s. 

■* . as Jesus sat at meat in 

Son of Man, on the other hand, is come, without any of the house, behold many 

this austerity, eating and drinking in the usual manner, saTdow^with 

conversing familiarly with all, and even cheerfully joining in ^ n m ^e n ^g pEe^ 

your innocent entertainments ; and ye say of Him, Behold a saw it, they said unto His 

gluttonous man, and a wine-bibber 3 a friend of publicans yi^Master^wfth Publi- 

and sinners! 1 But Wisdom is justified of all her chil- ^ s 10 %* inner8? Matt 

dren : m the methods of Divine Providence, however offensive And the Pharisees and 

to perverse and wicked men, will fully approve themselves Th?s M^n^^iveth 7 si£ 

as wise to all who have any love of truth and goodness: and eateth with ti iem . 

Although the Baptist's manner of living and Mine be dif- They aU murmured, 

n u r J v •/ saving, That He was gone 

ferent, yet, as the result of different circumstances and to be a guest with a man 

better suiting oar respective appearances, they are both 2£* ™ a smner ' Luke 

adapted to promote God's glory and man's salvation ; and m Doth not Wisdom 

so, being alike conformable to the Divine Wisdom, all who £^e ? hearken V mto me7o 

are enlightened by that Wisdom will justify the propriety of ^ e c ^ e ^ at fo ^ p e ^ d 

them both. ways. Prov. vhi. 1, 32. 

SECTION XLV. 

He upbraids the impenitent cities, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and 

Capernaum. 

Matt. xi. 20—24. Luke x. 13—15. 

THEN began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of ft Now after that John 

His mighty works were done, because, notwithstanding gSSTjS 

such powerful confirmations of His doctrine, and His having ing the Gospel of the king- 

, i „ r U dom of God, and saving, 

first preached among them, they repented not: a — Woe unto The time is fulfilled^ and 

thee (Alas! for thee), Chorazin ! W woe unto thee, Beth- ^tpt.^A" 

saida! for if the mighty works which were done in you Keve the Gospel. Marki. 

had been done in Tyre and Sidon b ; notorious as those ' 

luxurious cities were for their ungodliness, they ivould not to eut^from^ruTand 

have despised such confirmations of Prophetic warnings, but relaheth 1 ' 7 jeSivi?? 

would have deeply repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth Son of man > sa J unto 

i i I -n t x' i ii i the prince of Tyrus, Thus 

and ashes ! c( ^ But 1 say unto you 3 It shall be more saith the Lord God . . . 

tolerable even for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgment upon Le^" 5 

than for you ; for they sinned not against such light as is J^ey t *^^ im £ nA ^ 

now vouchsafed to you. And thou Capernaum, which art Behold l am against thee, 

as it were exalted unto heaven, — so highly distinguished giortLd^the midst of 

above other cities by My Presence and the miracles wrought Ezek - xxvm - 2j 7 > 

c O daughter of My people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes. Jer. vi. 26. — So the people 
of Nineveh helieved God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth .... And the king of Nineveh 
covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Jonah hi. 5, 6. 



0) Chorazin.'] This place was about two 
miles from Capernaum, and like Bethsaida, was 1 
the frequent scene of our Saviour's preaching 1 
and miracles. — The danger of impenitence when 
the Gospel is preached, is here forcibly shown. 
The woe denounced on these places was strictly 
fulfilled; for they were so completely desolated 
in the wars with the Romans, that it has been 
difficult to determine their former situation. 



( 2 ) Sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ] Sackcloth 
was a coarse kind of cloth worn by the poor, and 
also used as a sign of mourning or humiliation. 
To sprinkle ashes upon the head in token of 
sorrow was another very ancient Jewish custom 
(Lam. ii. 10). The posture of sitting, as one of 
repentance, was in use not only among the 
Eastern, but the Western, nations of antiquity. 



108 



CAPERNAUM IS DENOUNCED. 



in thee, — shalt be brought down [thrust down, Luke] 
^ d For thou hast said in into hell; d(3) thou shalt sink into a state of the extremesl 
into heaven. . . . Yet depression, and fall as low in thy humiliation as thou art 
oown Steii : e i^lv! now li f ted U P and P roud in imagined security ! For if the 
1S >J, 5 - mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been 

Though they climb up ° / . , . " 

to r heaven, thence will I done m oodom itself, infamous ana licentious as that aban- 

brmg them down. Amos dfy ^ it hayQ repmted and rema i n ed Until 

this day unconsumed by God's vengeance. But I say unto 
you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom 
in the day of Judgment than for thee. 



SECTION XLVI. 

A WOMAN WHO HAD BEEN A SINNER, ANOINTS THE FEET OF JESUS 
AT AN ENTERTAINMENT. 

Luke vii. 36—50. 

AND one of the Pharisees desired Him that He would 
eat with him. And He, not omitting the opportunity 
of benefiting others by social intercourse, went into the 
Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat (took His place 
at the table). 

And, behold, a woman in the city, which before was a 
great sinner, (1) though now a penitent, when she knew that 
Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an 
alabaster-box (or vase) of precious ointment; and stood 
by the couch on which the Lord reclined, at His feet behind 
Him, W weeping ; and began to wash (to water or bathe) 
His feet with tears — so profusely did those streams of 
repentance flow. And then, perceiving what she had done, 
she did wipe them with the hairs (the long tresses) of 
her head, and revwently kissed His feet, and anointed 
them with the ointment, — for she did not feel herself 
worthy to pour it, according to the custom, upon His 



( 3 ) Thou Capernaum shalt be brought down 

into/iell.] See Section XXII., Note 1. 

( ! ) A woman in the city which was a sinner, 
$c] This probably occurred at Capernaum, 
where our Lord usually resided. A somewhat 
similar incident is related by the three other 
Evangelists later in the history, but it is evidently 
not the same. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, there 
anoints the feet of Jesus at the house of Simon 
the leper ; but Mary lived at the village of 
Bethany, and so could not be said to belong to a 
city: her unction was also made for Christ's 
interment, and at a time when he " walked no 
more openly;" whereas, after this entertainment, 
He " went through the cities and villages preach- 
ing." All the affinity is in the box (or vase) of 
alabaster, which was commonly used for anoint- 
ing at feasts; and in the name of Simon, which 



was one of those most frequently met with. 
This woman, who had probably been a harlot 
and a Gentile, has also wrongly been confounded 
with Mary Magdalene. 

( 2 ) Stood at His feet behind Him.~\ It appears 
that at this period the Jews had adopted the 
Roman custom of reclining on couches, instead 
of sitting at their entertainments. The face of 
the guest was of course turned towards the table ; 
the head was a little raised, the back being sup- 
ported by cushions; while the lower part of the 
body was extended at full length, inclining out- 
ward at the back of the person who sat next 
below. So completely had they adopted this 
luxurious and most composed of all postures, that 
they used it also at the Passover (see John xiii. 
23), though originally commanded in the Law to 
partake of that Feast like travellers and men in. 
haste (see Exod. xii. 11). 



A WOMAN ANOINTS THE FEET OF JESUS. 



109 



head. Now when the Pharisee, which had bidden (in- 
vited) Him, saw it, he spake within himself, saying (he 
thought thus) : This man, if he were really, what he assumes 
to be, a Prophet, possessed of supernatural knowledge, 
would have known who, and what manner (ivhat kind) of 
woman this is, that toucheth and defileth him, for she 
is notoriously a sinner; and he would immediately have 
rebuked and driven her from his presence. 

And Jesus, answering in reply to these uncharitable 
thoughts of His host, but wishing at the same time to reprove 
without giving offence, said unto him apart from the other 
guests, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And 
he saith, Master, say on. Then said Jesus ; There was a 
certain creditor which had two debtors : (3) the one owed 
him five hundred pence (nearly sixteen pounds), and the 
other fifty pence (less than two pounds); and when they 
had nothing to pay, he frankly (freely) forgave them both. 
Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most? 
Simon, not perceiving the point and application of the 
parable, readily answered and said, I suppose that he 
loved the merciful creditor most, ivho felt the deepest sense 
of obligation to him, and to whom he forgave most. And 
He said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged, but herein 
hast condemned thyself. And He turned (inclined Him- a Let a little water j 
self) to the woman as He spake, and, in continuation, said P rav y° u be fetched, and 

0 i . . wash your feet, and rest 

unto ISimon, feeest thou this woman? (See what this woman yourselves under the tree. 
has done!) When I entered into thine house, an invited 

guest, thou gavest Me no water —common and needfid as J our hearts - Gen - xyiii - 

that refreshment is, — for My feet; a(4) but she hath washed 'And the man brought 

My feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of Luse^and^av^^em 

her head. Thou gavest Me no kiss b of salutation as a wel- ^ r / ee ^ d q^^m 

come, but this woman, since the time I came in, hath not ,„ 

' _ 6 And Esau ran to meet 

ceased to kiss My feet. My head even with common oil him and embraced him, 

thou didst not anoint f but this woman hath anointed My MssedhinT ^en!^^ 

feet with fragrant ointment. Her devotedness proves her 4 - 

to be a penitent indeed: Wherefore I say unto thee, Her c Thou preparest a 

x . , 7/»7f« r / -i table for me in the pre- 

sms, which are many, are all freely forgiven ; (5) for (there- sence of mine enemies ; 

fore) she hath loved much:* but to whom little is forgiven, ™ h u oi * no 5^ 

the same loveth little. d Faith worketh byloye . 

And again formally renewing this assurance of pardon, Gal. v. 6. 



( 8 ) There was a certain creditor which had two 
debtors.] The creditor represents our Lord: 
the two debtors are different descriptions of 
sinners ; both guilty, though not in the same 
degree, and both without any power to atone for 
their sins. Probably the woman and Simon are 
here respectively intended. 

( 4 ) Thou gavest me no water for My feet.'] 
Simon had not treated Jesus with ordinary re- 
spect. The ancients wore sandals ; and as these 
covered only the soles of the feet, frequent wash- 
ings became necessary. The sandals were taken 



off on entering a house, and to provide water 
was one of the common rites of hospitality. Oil, 
of a common sort at least, was also offered for 
the head, to which was added the usual welcome 
of a kiss. 

( 5 ) Her sitis which are many are forgiven, Qc] 
The gratuitous forgiveness of her sins would be 
the cause of her love, and not love the cause of 
her being forgiven. Our Saviour afterwards 
plainly says that Faith was the means of her 
being saved. 



110 



A DEMONIAC CURED. 



e There were certain of He said unto her before them all, Thy sins are forgiven. 

the scribes, sitting there, . T t« , . , . 

and reasoning in their And they that sat at meat with Him began to say withm 
m?rflkiripLk d0 bilsphT- themselves, Who is this presumptuous person, that he 
mies? Who can forgive f or gi vet h s i ns also? e — And He said to the woman as He 

sins but God only? Mark <=» 

ii. 6, 7. dismissed her, Thy faith hath saved thee f from the punish- 

f The iust shall live by , 0 .-. . . , 7 

hisfeith. Hab. ii. 4. merit oj thy past sins: go thy way m peace. 



SECTION XLVIL 

Jesus during a circuit cures a demoniac; and, upon the Pha- 
risees HAVING ACCUSED HlM OF CONFEDERACY WITH SATAN, He 
WARNS THEM OF THE UNPARDONABLE SlN, AND REPROVES THEM 
IN APPROPRIATE PARABLES. 

Matt. xii. 22—37, 43—45. Mark iii. 22—30. Luke viii. 1—3; xi. 14, 15, 

17—28; xii. 10. 



A' 



ND it came to pass afterward that He went through- 
out every city and village of the neighbourhood, 
preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of 
God. And the twelve Apostles were with Him, and also 
certain women which had been healed of evil spirits and 
infirmities ; namely Mary called Magdalen e, (1) out of whom 
went (had been expelled) seven devils, and Joanna the 
wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many 
■ And many women others, a which ministered the necessaries of life unto Him 
X which foi Wd" Jefus out of tneir substance.^ 

fro™ Galilee ministering Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a 

unto Hun. Matt. xxvu. . ° A 

55. devil, who had cast him into a disease that rendered him 

blind and dumb. And He healed him, insomuch that it 
came to pass, when the devil was gone out, that the man, 
who the moment before was blind and dumb, at once both 
spake and saw. And all the people were greatly amazed, 
plainly evincing their admiration of what was done; and 
they said, Is not this the Son (the promised and long- 
expected descendant) of David — the Messiah ? But when 
some of the Pharisees of the place heard it, — and parti- 
cularly the Scribes, which, jealous of His influence with 

b Is it not because there 7 -i £ T i , , TT . 

is not a God in Israel, Me people, came down irom Jerusalem to watch Him, — 
of Baal febub the^oTof the y said > This feuow > who 80 audaciously violates the Sab- 
Ekron? 2 Kings i? 3. bath, and rejects the traditions, hath Beelzebub b (3) (is 



0) Mary called Magdalene.] So called pro- 
bably from Magdala, the place of her residence, a 
town in Galilee (mentioned Matt. xv. 39). The 
common notion that she was a courtezan is with- 
out the least proof. It appears that she was a 
person of some wealth and consequence, as, when 
allusions are made to women, she is nearly always 
named first by the Evangelists — -even before the 
wife of Herod's steward, one of her associates. 

( 2 ) Which ministered unto Him of their sub- 



stance.'] This was not an unusual practice 
among the Jews on behalf of their teachers, 
when in need of assistance. Our Lord declared 
to one who had offered to become His disciple, 
that He had no home of His own ; and He was 
unable to pay the small sum demanded as tribute 
money without a miracle. So poor did it please 
Him to become for our sakes ! 

( 3 ) Beelzebub.] This name, which properly 
signifies ' the lord of flies/ was given to a god of 



THE PHARISEES REBUKED. 



Ill 



evidently possessed of a devil), and doth not cast out devils 
but by the aid of Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. 

But Jesus, knowing their malicious thoughts, called 
them unto Him, and said unto them in Parables : (4) — How 
can Satan cast out Satan ? — Every kingdom divided against 
itself (which is torn by opposing factions) is brought to 
certain desolation; that kingdom cannot possibly stand. 
And, so in smaller societies, every city or house divided 
against itself shall not stand, but falleth into decay. And 
if then Satan cast out Satan (if he cast his own subjects out 
of his dominions by destroying their power over men) — if 
Satan in effect rise up against himself and be divided, he 
cannot any longer stand, but hath an end — how shall his 
kingdom be enabled to stand ? surely it carries within itself 
the pledge of its dissolution. And is it at all likely that 
Satan would aid Me in a work directly opposed to his 
authority? Such a proceeding would be as if a king con- 
spired against himself! — Now the like absurdity is yours in 
arguing as ye do ; because ye so blasphemously say that I 
cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I, by Beelzebub 
cast out devils, tell Me by whom do your children, who 
practise frequent exorcisms, cast them out ? (5) You think that 
they do so with real effect, and are ready to applaud the 
act when practised by them ; but your censure is applicable 
in both cases, and they too, according to such reasoning, 
must be in league with Satan : therefore shall they be your 
judges in this matter, that you speak of Me only from the 
malice of your hearts, and you stand condemned of the 
grossest partiality and injustice. But, — to take the other 
and the true view of the question, — if I, professing Myself c Then the magicians 
to be the Messiah, cast out devils by the Spirit of God ffthe^ge^fGoJ'Exod! 
[with the finger of God, c Luke; i. e., by Divine power 19 * 
and co-operation] , then no doubt the Kingdom of God d is , d „ The God of heaven 

- 1 7 . 7 • , s " a11 set U P a kingdom 

come upon you ; the Messiah, predicted as coming to erect which shall never be 
that kingdom, and shewing such sure signs of authority over breakm^ieces ana am! 
Satan, is already among you. su ™ e a11 kingdoms, and it 

,J u \ shall stand fast for ever. 

And He said to them in another parable : No man can Dan. a. 44. 



the Philistines, because their country was much 
infested with insects. The Jews, who abominated 
idolatry, seem to have corrupted the name of 
this idol, so as to make it signify i the lord of 
filth,' or 'of a dung-hill.' To express the de- 
testation in which they held him, they also ap- 
propriated his name to the most hateful being in 
the universe, — the Devil, or the chief of the 
evil angels; for they believed in the subordi- 
nation of these, as well as in an hierarchy of 
good angels. Our Lord, in His answer, shows 
that He takes the expression " Beelzebub " in the 
same sense as the word Satan. 

( 4 ) In parables. ] The world " Parable " 
'taken from a Greek verb signifying to compare 
together) is, properly, a similitude taken from 



natural things in order to instruct us in things 
spiritual. It is so used generally in the Gospels. 
St. Luke, however, employs it in one passage of 
the original to denote a proverb or short saying 
fiv. 23), and again, as a special instruction 
(xiv. 7). — Probably many of the parables spoken 
by our Lord are not recorded, and we have a few 
only as a specimen (see Mark iv. 33). On their 
peculiar fitness as a mode of teaching, see Sec- 
tion L., Note 2. 

( 5 ) By lohom do your children cast them out ?] 
Whether these Jewish exorcists were successful 
or not, the argument is the same : the Pharisees 
thought that it was done, but did not choose to 
impute it in their case to the power or assistance 
of Satan. 



112 



The unpardonable sin. 



enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods {plun- 
der his effects), unless he will first bind and overpower the 
strong man, and then he will be able to spoil his house. 
When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods 
e shall the prey be are preserved in peace e and safety: but when a stronger 
S? n x iS?24. the mighty? than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh 
from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth 
f He shall divide the his spoils. f Even so, Satan is like a strong man ; and those 

spoil with the strong. , „. , . . , . 

isa. hii. 12. wtio are afflicted with evil spirits are m his possession : 

w^^thiSdK m ° can deliver such out of his power unless he first con- 
pent called the Devil and n U er Satan? I therefore, " having spoiled principalities 

Satan, which deceiveth the 7 7 •* 

whole world. . . . And and powers by these My Miracles^ must be stronger than 
iith^ml 8 Rev. 3?9° Ut Satan. I tell you that in the Christian warfare there 
can be no compromise nor neutrality : he that is not with 
Me, opposing Satan, is against Me, and must be deemed 
unwilling that Satan's kingdom should be destroyed ; and 
he that gathereth not with Me, as a good Shepherd collects 
his sheep into the fold, scattereth abroad, like the wolf, 
many from it. 

Wherefore, verily I say unto you who have thus wickedly 
calumniated Me, All manner of sins, and all blasphemies 
wherewith soever they shall blaspheme, shall be forgiven 
unto the sons of men upon their sincere repentance ; but the 
blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, — the sin of attributing 
the miraculous operations of the Divinity working in Me to 
the agency of Satan, — shall not be forgiven unto men : such 
offenders have shut themselves out from repentance ; for in 
the commission of this impious crime they have reviled the 
Holy Trinity; they have denied the Atonement^ shutting 
themselves out from its benefit ; and when that last evidence 
of conviction has been given, nothing further can be done to 
call men to repentance : the declaration of their own lips 
has sealed their eternal doom! And whosoever, taking 
offence at My mean condition, speaketh a contemptuous or 
impious word against the Son of man, considered merely 
as a man, it may be repented of, and shall be forgiven him ; 
but whosoever speaketh [blasphemeth, Mark & Luke] 
against the Holy Ghost, it shall never be forgiven him/ 6 ) 



( fi ) Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost 
it shall never be forgiven him. ] This sin, besides 
being a reviling of the Holy Spirit, through whom 
Miracles were wrought, was a denial of the Son, 
one particular proof of whose Messiahship was 
the casting out devils ; and it was also a wilful 
rejection of the gracious message of God the 
Father to fallen man. The case of such a sinner 
is extreme, because it is one which will not sub- 
mit to Repentance ; and because Faith, the in- 
dispensable condition of Forgiveness, will pro- 
bably always be wanting. Not that such a case 
is absolutely hopeless, for that would be contrary 
to what is taught elsewhere : " The blood of 
Christ cleanseth from all sin." Our Lord de- 



clared that He would deny those in Heaven who 
denied Him on earth, but notwithstanding He 
forgave St. Peter ; and as He prayed for His 
bitterest enemies, we must suppose that even 
they could be forgiven. Yet the case of the 
blasphemer who rejects the Atonement, may 
fitly be compared to that of a sick man obsti- 
nately refusing the only remedy for his disorder : 
and who must therefore be pronounced incurable. 
— Although this precise sin cannot be committed 
now, we may contract a guilt parallel with, and 
coming up very nearty to it. Miracles remain 
one great evidence of Christianity, and though 
we cannot be eye-witnesses of such proofs of 
Divine power, we have the full evidence of his- 



PARABLE OF THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT. 



113 



neither in this world, neither in the world to come ; but 

he is in danger of eternal damnation.^ — The Lord spake * Of how much sorer 

. . punishment, suppose ye 

thus strongly because they accused Him of being in league shall he be thought wor- 

with the Devil, having plainly said, He hath an unclean u^lbot the Son of Go*! 

spirit. He enforced His admonition by adding these words: ^ at^rifSr gSb? 

— Either take care to make the tree good, and then his (its) Heb.x. 29. 

fruit will be good; or else you will make the tree corrupt, death! 16 i Johnnie!" 1 ° 

and so his fruit will be corrupt ; for the quality of the tree 

is to be known by his fruit. Even so, while the goodness 

of My life and doctrine speak for themselves, your open 

blasphemy and hypocrisy convict you. O you that are a 

generation of vipers, how can ye, being thus evil, speak 

good things ? for out of the abundance of the heart the 

mouth speaketh : A bad heart which harbours evil thoughts, 

betrays itself in evil words, and these will lead on to sinful ^^^^Xt^me- 

actions. Thus on the one hand, a good man, out of the but h ? that openeth wide 

, r-ii /»7i* i r> i 1 k' s ^P s shall have de- 

good treasure 01 the neart, freely bringeth lortn good stmction. Prov. xiii. 3. 

things; and on the other, an evil man, out of the evil trea- eve F r ° r ^ t£ £g* 

sure of his heart, as naturally brino-eth forth evil things. ment > with ever y secret 

17 . v P & thing, whether it be 

But, however lightly you may account such offences, I say good or whether it he evil, 

unto you ivho give unbridled license to the tongue, that ^NeTtke? mthiness, nor 

every idle word (every single wicked or injurious word) that f oolish _ talking, nor jest- 

J i 1 ii • ln S' Ay bich are not conve- 

men shall speak, they shall give account thereof m the day nient. ... Let no man 

£ ' J i £ * z. n j.' 7 7, j. 7 "L i.t~ deceive vou with vain 

of judgment: for, not by thy actions only, but also by thy wordSj foi : because 0 f these 

words, which evince the true disposition of the heart, thou comet ^ the wrath 

* m * J 7 of God upon the children 

shalt, if they be good, be justified ; and by thy words thou of disobedience. Eph. v. 

shalt, if they be evil, be condemned. 11 ' — to execute judgment 

Hear yet another parable, ye who hesitate to take part f 1, and t0 ™ nyhlce 

v jr 1 v r all that are ungodly among 

at once with Me against Satan : When the unclean spirit them of a11 their hard 

„ , nii ii/7 speeches which ungodly 

is gone out 01 a man, he walketn through dry (barren or sinners have spoken 

desert) places, ^ seeking rest (a place of abode), and findeth against Him - Jude 15 ' 

none. 1 Then he saith, I will return into my house (namely, \ A " d the „?r ord said 

3 " unto Satan, W hence co- 

his former dwelling-place in the man's heart) from whence most thou-? Then Satan 

T . ill- i r i >i > answered the Lord and 

1 came out : and when he is come, he nndeth it empty, said, From going to and 

so as freely to admit its former guest, — swept and cleared ^ki^^^k^loJn^ 

of every incumbrance that might prevent occupation, — and iL ,Tob L '• 

.... . 7-77 7 n .\ The devil, as a roaring 

garnished (set in the most desirable order for his reception), lion.waiketh about, seek- 

Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other ^g^nhe may devour. 



tory in their favour ; and in both cases it is Rea- 
son which is to draw the conclusion : if we will 
not hear Moses and the Prophets, if we are un- 
convinced by Christ and His Apostles, then the 
greatest miracle clone before our eyes would not 
convince us, not even the raising a man from the 
dead. — There are some desponding persons, and 
also believers with over-tender consciences, who 
are rendered miserable from thinking themselves 
guilty of the Sin against the Holy Ghost; but 
the first often require the aid of the physician 
more than of the divine ; and persons of the 
second class should clearly understand that no 
believing Christian can commit this particular 



sin ; it can be committed only by those who are 
not Christians at all. 

( 7 ) Walketh through dry places.] The cir- 
cumstances of this parable are accommodated to 
the notions of the Jews respecting the haunts 
and habits of demons, whose common abode was 
supposed to be in the deserts. The chief pur- 
pose of the parable is to represent clearly and in 
a strong light the danger of an imperfect repen- 
tance — of an alteration of conduct not followed 
by the establishment of such principles as will 
fortify the heart against the future invasion of 
evil. 



114 



WHO ARE BLESSED. 



For it is impossible for spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and 

lighfened^nd^aTrtLted dwell there : and the last state of that man is worse even 

of the heavenly gift and the fi rst k E ven so also shall it be unto this wicked 

were made partakers or tne 

Holy Ghost .... if they generation, which obstinately resists My miracles and My 

shall fall awav, to renew 7 . . . 77 , 7 777 

them a^ain unto repent- doctrine : it will become in the end even more abandoned 

H^t. than before. 

caped the pollutions of the And it came to pass, as He spake these things, a cer- 

world through the know- . „ - t i i • -1 • i 

ledge of the Lord and tain woman oi tne company lilted up her voice, and said 

Se^'ran^eS *ntO Him > BleSSed is WOmb tliat DaTe Thee > &Ild 

in, and overcome, the lat- Uessed are the paps which Thou hast sucked ! But He 

ter end is worse with them _ 7.7 7.1,1- a n ,1 r j 

than the beginning. 2 Pet. said, Yea, blessed indeed is Mary, as the Angel of the Lord 

u ' i 20 ' announced; but the essential blessedness of Eternal Life, 

kee^Hirtesdmonies. IK! which shall be her reward, is not placed in this circumstance, 

CX Not 2 every one that nor ™ ^ restricted to her alone : rather, blessed are all they 

saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, that hear the Word of God and keep it. 1 

shall enter into the king- 
dom of heaven, hut he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Matt. vii. 21. — not a forgetful 
hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James i. 25. 



SECTION XLVIII. 

The Scribes and Pharisees are reproved for requiring a 

FURTHER SIGN FROM HEAVEN. The SIGN OF JONAS IS PROMISED. 

Matt. xii. 38—42. Luke xi. 16, 29—32. 

THEN certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees an- 
swered, tempting {spake, trying) Him, and sought of 
Him a sign from Heaven, saying, Master, we have indeed 
witnessed some wonderful proofs of thy power, but we 
» For the Jews require would see a further sign from thee a(I) — some such celestial 
a sign. i Cor.i. 22. appearance 0 as our ancient Prophets speak of. 
b i sa w in the - night j$ ut when the people were gathered thick together in a 

visions, and behold one i i o o 

like the Son of man came crowd about Him, He answered and began to say to them, 

with the clouds of heaven. _ T . _ . . 

Dan. vii. 13. 1 his is an evil and adulterous generation ^ — a people quite 

degenerated from the faith of their fathers. An evil genera- 
tion seeketh after a sign which shall be irresistible for their 
conviction: but signs and wonders are daily exhibited before 
their eyes, and there shall no other sign be given to it but 
the sign of the Prophet Jonas. The great proof of My 
Divine Mission shall be a miraculous event similar to what 
was then prefigured ; for as Jonas was a sign unto the 
Ninevites, and gave them undeniable proof of his Mission 



Q) We would see a sign from thee.] The sign 
they no doubt wished to see was a Temporal Mes- 
siah, " coming," as Daniel had described, " in the 
clouds of heaven," to deliver them from the Roman 
yoke. Josephus, describing the state of affairs 
in Judea under Felix, tells us (B. J. lib. ii. cap. 
13) that several impostors drew the people into 
the wilderness, pretending that they would shew 
them " signs of liberty" from heaven, 



( 2 ) This is an evil and adulterous generation.] 
This was equally true of adultery in the proper 
sense of the word ; and there was no age when 
polygamy and divorces were so common among 
the Jews. The spiritual sense seems to be in- 
tended in respect of their practical infidelity, and 
the preference of their Traditions to the Word 
of God. 



THE SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAS. 



115 



from God, so shall also the Son of man, by a Divine inter- 
position in His favour yet more surprising, be a sign to this 
generation. For as Jonas was three days and three nights 

in the whalers belly c (3) (in the cavity of a great fsh, Gr.), and e Now the Lord had 

was miraculously delivered from it alive ; so shall the Son S^ d u a p foIah^And 

of man be part of three days and three nights ^ buried in J ona J] ; va Y n thf ; hell J o( 

* J J & the fash three days and 

the heart of (within the bowels of) the earth. d three nights. Jon. i. 17. 

The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment d Now that He ascend- 

with this generation, and shall condemn it as inexcusable ; afs'o^esUnLd U fim \utl 

because, idolaters as they ivere, they repented at the the 1 low ^ r P arts of the 

\V - J 7 earth. Eph. iv. 9. 

preaching of Jonas, e who ivas a poor stranger cast among 

them for a few days only, and did no miracle to convince neveh°beiLved P Godf and 

them he ivas a Prophet; and behold a greater than Jonas t°tS^Se 

is now here, — One ivho has preached daily among professing greatest of them even to 

' ^ J // J U the least of them. Jonah 

worshippers of the true God, and has wrought for them a hi. 5. 
succession of the most astonishing miracles in vain ! The 
queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this 

generation, and shall condemn it ; for she came from the f And when the Queen 

uttermost parts of the earth (5) to hear the wisdom of 0 f Solomon, she came "to 

Solomon; f and behold a King far greater than Solomon both id unto Soil 

in dignity and ivisdom is here, — even at your very doors! omon.. ..Lo,i have given 

You refuse to hear Him, and come but to cavil, not to learn ; standing heart, so that 

yet I tell you, that since, among mere men, none like unto beforeTee^^ekh^lfter 

Solomon ever lived before, nor was to arise after, He who is sha11 an y arise lik f 

7 . . 7 7 -r-v- • UTlt0 ^ ee - 1 K^gS 1U - 

greater than that distinguished prince must needs be Di vine, 11,12. 



( 3 ) In the whale's belly. ~\ The fish in the book 
of Jonah is merely described as " a great fish ;" 
and it is well known that the Greek word, trans- 
lated whale in our version, denotes any large fish. 
The throat of a whale is small in proportion to 
its bulk, but notwithstanding this fact, it is still 
possible that Jonas was preserved even within 
the body of a whale : for an eminent naturalist 
observes, that " at the bottom of the throat of 
this fish is an intestine, so large and so wide that 
a man might pass into it; it is an air vessel in 
which are two vents, serving for inspiration and 
exspiration, and enabling the animal to rise or 
sink at pleasure." This testimony carries the 
more weight as the writer had not the case of 
Jonas in view. — Sharks have also been known to 
swallow a man entire, and a fish of that species 
(called for its voracity Lamia) has been seen 
twenty feet in length, through the throat of 
which a man might easily have passed. 

( 4 ) Three days and three nights.] Our Lord 
continued in the grave only one entire day ; but 
the Jews reckoned a whole day if any part of one 
was included in the transaction. That they un- 
derstood our Lord to predict He would rise " on 
the third day " appears from what His enemies 
said to Pilate, " That deceiver said, After three 
days I will rise again : command therefore that 
the Sepulchre be made sure until the third day' 1 '' 
(Matt, xxvii. 03, 64). The expression among 
them for a natural day of twenty-four hours was 



"a day and a night," and both were men- 
tioned when only a few hours of any particular 
day were taken up. Thus Esther says to the 
Jews (ch. iv. ver. 16), "Fast ye for me, and 
neither eat nor drink three days, night or day ; I 
also and my Maidens will fast likewise, and so 
will I go in unto the King :" yet it is expressly 
said (ch. v. ver. 1), that she went to the King 
on the third day. Again ; Rehoboam says to the 
people (2 Chron. x. 5), " Come unto me after 
three days ; yet they " came on the third day as 
the King bade" (ver. 12). See also Luke ii. 21, 
where "eight days" are said to have been accom- 
plished at the circumcision of Jesus, but the Law 
required Circumcision " on the eighth day ;" and 
the day of our Lord's birth being one of the days, 
and that of His Circumcision another, there were 
only six complete. St. Luke, in another place, 
speaks of our Lord taking Peter and others into 
the mount eight days after He had spoken certain 
words; but from Matt. xvii. 1, and Mark ix. 2, 
it appears, that He spoke the words on the first 
day, and went up into the mount on the eighth, 
leaving but six entire d;iys. 

( 5 ) Came from the uttermost parts of the 
earth.] Arabia and Saba, lying south of Jeru- 
salem, are the countries here alluded to. Ideas 
of Geography among the ancients being limited, 
countries at this distance were described and un- 
derstood as in the text. 



I 2 



116 



SECTION XLIX. 

Jesus declares whom He esteems as His Mother and His 
Brethren. He dines with a Pharisee; and denounces woes 
against the hypocrites of that sect, with others. 

Matt. xii. 46—50; xxiii. 23—36. Mark iii. 31 — 35. Luke viii. 19 — 21 ; 

xi. 37—54. 

WHILE He yet talked to the people, behold, there 
came then unto Him His mother (1) and His brethren 
(His kinsmen*) to see Him. And the multitude sat close 
round about Him, and they (His relatives) could not come 
at Him for the press : And, standing without the crowd, 
they sent a message unto Him, calling Him to come to 
them, and desiring to speak with Him. — Then one of the 
people said unto Him, Behold, Thy mother and Thy 
brethren seek for Thee, and now stand without desir- 
ing to see and to speak with Thee. But He answered 
him that told Him, and said aloud unto them all, Who, 
think ye, is My mother? And who are those, do ye 
suppose, that I consider as My brethren ? And He looked 
round about on them which sat about Him, and stretched 
forth His hand towards His disciples, and said, Behold 
. here My mother and My brethren, — those whom I spirit- 

• A certain woman or J «■ i iat i i 

the company lifted up her ually esteem as such : for My mother and My brethren 
BTessedi s S the wombthat are these My faithful disciples, which hear the Word of 
ba v re 1 1 i\ ee a ! ld lhe t T God and do it. a And not these only, but whosoever shall do 

which 1 hou hast sucked : ... 

but He sad, Yea rather, the will of God, My Father, which is in Heaven, the same 
Se'^^.y^andkee^ is as dear to Me as My brother and sister and mother. <■> 
it. Luke xi 27, 28 ^ n( j ag jj. q spa k e these words, a certain Pharisee, who 

X 6 iilG Illy IllcIlliS II yc -I. 

do whatsoever i command } m d assembled some friends with a view to ensnare Him, 

yon. John xv. 14. ttt- t • t i • itt • J. 2. « 

Both He that sancti- besought Him to dine with mm : and We went m to his 

Sifted ai^ ai/ofone 6 ; house, and as soon as He entered, sat down to meat (took 

for which cause He isnot His place at the table). And when the Pharisee saw it^ 

brethren. Heb. h. 11. he marvelled that He had not, according to the traditional 



(^) There came unto Him His mother.] This 
may have been merely a common occurrence of 
daily life; but it is remarkable that our Lord, 
who might have taken opportunity to refer to 
His mother in terms of exaltation, rather gives a 
caution against superstitious feelings towards 
'chose nearly allied to Him by the ties of His* 
numan nature. Some have supposed (though, 
it may be, without sufficient foundation) that His 
relatives, moved by a dread of the Pharisees, 
wished to prevent His preaching; and several 
of the Fathers tax Mary herself on this occasion 
with infirmity — a charge, which, however harsh, 
terves to show that they did not regard her with 
the excessive veneration of the Romanists. 

( 2 ) The same is My brother and sister and 
mother.] The short but noble sentiment con- 



tained in the sentence of which these words are 
a part, will never be forgotten while there are 
memories to retain or tongues to repeat it. It is 
recorded with the utmost simplicity by the Evan- 
gelists ; but the most elaborate panegyric could 
not have done so much honour to, or so forcibly 
have illustrated that Religion, which requires us 
to forsake father and mother and friends to fol- 
low Christ. The Saviour's spiritual regard for 
His disciples exceeded even His natural affec- 
tion, which He proved, even in the last trying 
moment, that He deeply entertained for His mo- 
ther. So high did He place Obedience to the 
will of Heaven, that He preferred the relation 
which that principle constituted, and the union 
which it begot, to the strongest earthly tie that 
can exist. 



JESUS CONDEMNS THE HYPOCRISY OF THE PHARISEES. 



117 



custom, first washed before dinner 0 — more especially as He 
had just quitted a mixed multitude. 

And the Lord, who knew that they practised such ablu- 
tion from superstitious motives, took the opportunity of 
reproving their hypocrisy, and said unto him and those who 
were assembled: Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, 
hypocrites ! now do ye make clean only the outside of the 
cup and of the platter/ (3) hoping to appear undefiled in the 
eye of men; but your inward part is full of extortion 
and excess [wickedness, Luke]. Thou blind Pharisee, 
cleanse first that which is within the cup and the platter, 
that the outside of them may be clean also: first, let the 
inclinations of the heart be pure, and then the outward con-, 
duct will be pure also. Ye fools, d (4) did not He that made 
that which is without make that which is within also? is it 
not of at least as much importance to cleanse the soul, as to 
keep the body from ceremonial defilements ? Therefore put 
not outward observances in the place of true religion ; but 
rather give alms (5) according to your ability of such things 
as ye have f and, if that important duty be done from a 
right principle, it will be an evidence that other Christian 
qualifications are present also, and then behold all things 
are clean unto you. f Woe unto you, Scribes and Phari- 
sees, hypocrites, for ye scrujjulously pay for the Temple- 
service your tithe of mint and rue, of anise and cummin/ 6 ' 
and all manner of trifling herbs ; and ye silently pass over 
and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law — the 
lasting and infinitely more important duties of morality and 
religion, such as judgment and mercy (justice and charity 
to your neighbour) and faith, ivhich are the true foundation 
of the love of God.? These duties of the ceremonial kind 
ought ye indeed to have done, since your customs require 
them ; and at the same time not to leave the other undone, 
which God more especially requires at your hands. Ye blind 
guides, which, from your dread of outward pollution, strain 
at (strain out) a gnat (7) from the wine you drink, and yet, in 



b Then the Pharisees 
and Scribes asked Him, 
saying, Why walk not 
thy disciples according ti- 
the tradition of the elders, 
but eat bread with un- 
washen hands? Mark vii. 
5. 



c Laying aside the com- 
mandment of God, ye hold 
the tradition of men, as 
the washing of pots and 
cups ; and many other 
such like things ye do. 
Mark vii. 8. 



d Ye fools, when will ye 
be wise? Ps. xciv. 8. 



e Is not this the fast 
that I have chosen ? Is it 
not to deal thy bread to 
the hungry, and that thou 
bring the poor that are 
cast out to thy house? 
Isa. lviii. 6, 7. 

Break off thine iniqui- 
ties by shewing mercy to 
the poor. Dan. iv. 27. 

f Unto the pure all 
things are pure. Tit. i. 

15. asffiow ataiso A » 

sr Hath the Lord as 
great delight in burnt of- 
fering and sacrifices, as in 
obeying the voice of the 
Lord? Behold to obey is 
better than sacrifice, and 
to hearken than the fat of 
rams. 1 Sam. xv. 22. 

He hath shewed thee, 
0 man, w hat is good; and 
what doth the Lord re- 
quire of; thee, but to do 
justice, and to love mercy, 
and to w alk humbly with 
thy God? Mic. vi. 8. 



( 3 ) Ye make clean the outside of the cup.] 
See Section LXI V., Notes 2—4. ' 

( 4 ) Ye fools.] This was- a mode of expression 
not so harsh as with us, and commonly made use 
of in argument among the Jews. So St. Paul 
employs it (1 Cor. xv. 36). — There are in Scrip- 
ture severer epithets than the one applied here 
by our Lord ; but the circumstance does not at 
all justify our censorious judgment of others, or 
the use of opprobrious names. Jesus knew the 
heart, which we do not ; and it was undeniably 
true that these men were the foois and wicked 
hypocrites He portrayed them. 

( 5 ) Rather give alms.] Almsgiving may be an 
outward act as well as ablution, and a man may, 
as St. Paul says (1 Cor. xiii. 3), " give all his 
goods to feed the poor," without having charity 
in his heart : still this kind of benevolence is an 



evidence of the spirit which ought to prevail 
within, and as such it is instanced here. As the 
fruit of Love to God and man, it will do more to 
sanctify our possessions than any outward cere- 
mony. See Section XLL, Note 22. 

( 6 ) Rue, anise, and cummin.] Rue was a 
bitter plant used as a medicine. Anise, other- 
wise known as dill (and mentioned by Virgil), 
had a fine aromatic smell, and was used by con- 
fectioners. Cummin was a plant less esteemed, 
resembling fennel. Those herbs only, which 
could be used for culinary or medicinal purposes, 
were liable to tithe. 

( 7 ) Which strain at a gnat, Qc] In Arch- 
bishop Parker's Bible, 15G8, this is correctly 
rendered " strain out a gnat," which was no doubt 
intended to be preserved in the next Version 
under King James ; but, "at," having occurred 



118 JESUS CONDEMNS THE HYPOCRISY OF THE PHARISEES. 

cases of morality, would, if it ivere possible, without scruple 
swallow a camel : ye are superstitious in the lesser matters 
of the Law, but profane and grossly sinful in the greater! 
Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for in 
the pride of your hearts ye dearly love the uppermost seats 
h Which receive honour in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the markets, 11 

one of another, and seek 7 . 7 7 7 ,7 al , , 7 • 7 

not the honour that cometh which you value much more than that true honour which 
from God only. John v. cometn f rom God only. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pha- 
For they (the chief risees^ hypocrites ! For ye are as those graves which 

rulers) loved the praise of -1 J , 

men more than the praise appear not, ( ) and the men that walk over them are not 
of God. John xu. 43. aware 0 f them: ye deceive men to their downfal and 
destruction, and defile all who hold any communication with 
you. Ye are like also unto those other whited sepulchres, 
which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full 
of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness ; all appears 
smooth and fair, but the corruption of death lies below ; even 
so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but 
» Then said Paul unto within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 1 
st'e trl?°tS The « answered one of the lawyers (or interpreters of 

wall! Actsxxiii. 3. the traditional law) and said unto Him, Master, thus say- 
Then- inward part is . \ 

verv wickedness: their mg, thou reproachest us also, for ive are teachers as the 

tWtisanopensepulchre. ^ ^ Rq ^ ^ Wqq ^ yQU ^ 

ye lawyers ! for lax as ye are in enforcing the moral pre- 
cepts of the Laiv, ye lade men with traditions and burthens 
* Why tempt ye God grievous to be borne ; k and though tenaciously exacting them 

to put a yoke upon the 77 n , 7 , 7 7 , ■« 

necks of* the disciples a " from other men, ye yourselves set no example, ana touch 
which neither our fathers t th burthens to lighten them in the least— not even with 

nor we were able to bear ? & 

Acts xv. 10. one of your fingers. 

Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for 
ye build up the decayed tombs of the prophets/ 9 ) and gar- 
nish the sepulchres of the righteous, pretending a veneration 
for their memory which you do not feel, and your fathers 
killed them. And ye sanctimoniously say, If we had been 
i Ye stiffnecked and living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been 
* partakers [accomplices) with them in shedding the blood of 



and ears, ye do always re- 
sist the Holy Ghost : as 
your fathers did, so do ye. 

Acts vii. 51. [against) yourselves, that ye are the children of them 



sist the Holy Ghost : as t h e prophets. Wherefore truly, ye be witnesses unto 

your lathers did, so do ye. 



through an obvious typographical error in their 
first edition, has ever since been preserved. 
There was an Eastern proverb, "He eats an 
elephant and is suffocated with a gnat." The 
Jews had been forbidden to eat whatever had not 
fins or scales in the water (Lev. xi. 10), and 
in after-times disputed whether this did not 
apply to the animalcules in liquor as unclean : so 
they strained their wine, which frequently con- 
tained small insects. Camels were certainly un- 
clean (Lev. xi. 4). — The Scribes and Pharisees 
soon verified the character here given of them. 
They would not admit the wages of Judas into 
the treasury, though they had hired him with 
that very money to assist in murdering Jesus ; 
and though they scrupled not to shed innocent 



I blood, they declined to enter the judgment-hall 
for fear of defilement. 

( 8 ) As graves which appear not.~\ At a par- 
ticular time of the year the Jews had all their 
grave-stones washed with lime-water, to prevent 
legal defilement (see Num. xix. 16). But some 
graves, having no stones or other mark, might be 
overlooked, and would soon be overgrown with 
weeds. To this description of graves the Pha- 
risees are here first compared ; and presently to 
the more modern or remarkable Sepulchres which 
were whitened over. 

( 9 ) Ye build the tombs of the prophets, ^-c] It 
is particularly mentioned in Josephus (Antiq. xvi. 
7) that Herod repaired in a very splendid man- 
ner the sepulchre of David. 



JESUS CONDEMNS THE HYPOCRISY OF THE PHARISEES. 119 



which killed the prophets ; ye are their genuine offspring, to fill up their sins 
and prove the resemblance to them in your persecuting spirit. 

come upon them to the 

The construction would he one justly merited, that ye allow ^ termost 1 Thess - u 
and approve the deeds of your fathers ; for they indeed n And they stoned ste- 
killed them, and ye as accessories build their sepulchres: ph And AC Herod° 9 killed 
your conduct shews that these monuments have been raised James the brother of John 

* with the sword. Actsxu. 

less out of respect to the prophets, than to their murderers. 2. 
Wherefore, fill ye up then, as I know ye will continue to lT* 
do, the measure 131 of the iniquity of your fathers/ 10) until P And when they had 
the national guilt shall become complete. Ye serpents, ye ^enf^hey S com 

generation of vipers, how can ye possibly escape the dam- manded that tiiey should 

nation of hell? Behold, said the Wisdom of God (the Jesus. Acts v. 40. 

Most Wise God), I will yet send unto you prophets and ^/T^S 

apostles, wise men and scribes, the true interpreters of My save one - Thrice was i 

•77 ,* \ i i j* , • J n beaten with rods. 2 Cor. 

will, that so no means may be left untried jor your corner- xi. 24, 25. 

sion. And some of them ye shall {will) kill n and cru- q And the Spirit of God 

, „ , 1 ii - • came upon Zachariah the 

ciiy; 0 ^ l) and some 01 them snail ye scourge p m your son of jehoiada the priest, 
synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: so that ^^LtZ^, 
upon you, exceeding even your fathers in wickedness, mav Thus saitn God > Whv 

7 . 7 ~ , . ill " transgress ye the com- 

come the punishment of all the ngnteous blood shed upon mandments of the Lord, 
the earth— from the blood of righteous Abel, the first tli'y^efoSen 
preacher of righteousness, unto the blood of Zacharias,*! ^ ! he , Lord > He ? so 

t « . . torsanen you. And they 

son of Barachias (or Jehoiada), whom ye impiously slew conspired against him, and 

r t_ • i •-liz._£-t -1 7 •• stoned him with stones, at 

[which perished by stoning, Lukej even as he ivas minis- the commandment of the 
tering between the sacred Altar of burnt-sacrifice and the ^*^ n 0 f th | 
Temple (the sanctuary). Verily I say unto you, It shall all Chron. xxiv. 20, 21. 
be required; and all these predicted things shall come r 1 the Lord thy God 

, . am a jealous God, visiting 

Upon thlS generation. 1 " the iniquity of the fathers 

Woe onto yon, lawyers! for ye have taken away the 
key of knowledge (13) by which the sacred storehouse of of them that hate Me - 

3 . b . . Exod. sx. 5. 

Scripture ought to be kept open, and by your traditions and The Lord God of re- 
false interpretations have shut up the kingdom of heaven l^^^e^t^Q^ 1 



( 10 ) Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.'] 
It was the observation of their own wise men, 
from Gen. xv. 16, "that God does not take 
vengeance of a nation until they have filled up 
the measure of their sins." The Jews of our 
Lord's time had the history of their fathers to 
warn them : yet it is remarkable that Josephus 
says "there never was so wicked a race;" and 
that " if the Romans had delayed coming, God 
would have interfered to destroy them, since they 
were worse than the people of Sodom !" (see 
B. J. v. 13). 

( u ) Some of them ye shall crucify.'] There is no 
evidence of the crucifixion of any Christian teacher 
before the destruction of Jerusalem, but the silence 
of that portion of history which has come down 
to us, and that briefly written, is no proof that 
there were none such. The term "crucifixion " 
may be taken to signify only " a cruel death." 

( 12 ) Zacharias.] This could scarcely be the 
author of one of the Minor Books of Prophecy, 
standing in the Sacred Canon, though he also 
was the son of Barachias ; for that writer lived 



when the Temple was in ruins. It must there- 
fore be the Zacharias whose death is recorded in 
the Second Book of Chronicles. He is men- 
tioned, as the son "of Jehoiada ;" but it was com- 
mon with the Jews to have two names, especially 
when, as in the present case, the names had a 
similar meaning. He was the last prophet slain 
by the people; for the death of Isaiah was not a 
popular act. At his death he said, " The Lord 
look upon it and requite it!" making his case 
remarkably similar to that of Abel, the first mar- 
tyr, whose blood cried for judgment from the 
ground. — The place where Zacharias was mur- 
dered was considered a place of refuge even for 
criminals. 

( 13 ) Ye have taken away the key of knowledge.] 
The Chilian doctrine is here compared to an 
edifice, which, when the key is taken away, be- 
comes inaccessible. " The Key " is the Inter- 
pretation of Scripture, and the Hebrews deliv- 
ered a Key as an emblem or badge of office to 
those who were appointed to teach. Heathen 
priests were also called " Key-bearers." 



120 



THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 



against men : Ye entered not in yourselves, and them that 
were entering in ye hindered. 

And as He said these things unto them, the Scribes 
and the Pharisees began to urge Him vehemently, and to 
provoke Him, by frequent and ensnaring questions, to speak 
unadvisedly of many things ; laying wait for Him, and 
seeking to catch something out of His mouth, that by it 
they might accuse Him. 

SECTION L. 

The Parable of the Sower; with a Discourse on Parables. 
Matt. xiii. 1—23. Mark iv. 1—25. Luke viii. 4—18. 



THE same day went Jesus out of the house, in which He 
had been dining with the Pharisee, and sat by the sea- 
side, and began again to teach. And great multitudes were 
gathered together, and much people were come to Him 
out of every surrounding city, so that, to avoid the pressure 
of the crowd and teach with more facility, He went into a 
ship, and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude 
stood by the sea on the shore [was by the sea on the land, 
Mark] . 

And He taught them many things by Parables [spake 
by a Parable, Luke], and said unto them in His doctrine 
(in the course of His teaching), — Hearken : behold there 
went out a sower to sow his seed. And it came to pass, 
as he sowed, some seed fell by the way-side, into which, as 
the soil was hard-beaten, it could not enter; and, lying 
there uncovered, it was trodden down by passers-by, and 
the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some 
fell on stony ground, — upon a layer of rock which lay 
beneath the surface of the soil, — where it had not much 
earth to cover and nourish the root ; and almost imme- 
diately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth 
ing heat, but it withereth th roU qh which to make its way: but when the sun was up, it 

the grass, arid the flower ° 17 . 

thereof faiieth, and the was scorched ; a and so, as soon as it was sprung up, it had 

grace of the fashion of it , , , . , , ±n j • ,t_ j i 

perisheth. So also shah already outgrown its strength, and withered away because it 
had no depth of root and lacked moisture. And some of the 
seed fell among thorns : b and the thorns sprang up with it; 



a For the sun is no 
sooner risen with a bum- 



the rich man fade away in 
his wars. James i. 11. 



b Thus saith the Lord 

to tbe men of Judah and but growing faster than the seed, took away the nourishment 

Sio^CToaSf'and ^ow of the ground, and obscuring the seed from the influence of the 

not among thorns. Jer. mn an ^ d ewSy choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And 

c For the earth which 



other seed fell on good ground, 0 and did yield fruit that 
drinketh hi the rain that sprang up in due time and increased to its full proportion; 
D^gShfoU^herbs' meet an ^ according to the goodness of the particular soil where 
for them by whom it is f ne n ra i ns aa d fallen, the ears brought forth for each grain, 

dressed, receiveth blessing " , . l ' " 

from God. Heb. vi. 7 some of them thirty, and some sixty, and some even an 



THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 



121 



hundred-fold. d (1) And when He had said these things, He d Then Isaac sowed in 

. 7 i • i i j.i tt jT a i * I , i that land and received in 

cried aloud and said unto them, He that natn ears to hear the same year an hundred 

the truth, let him hear and embrace it. ^q^^^^ 

And when the assembly had dispersed, and He was e At that time Jesusan- 

alone (retired apart from the multitude), they (the disciples) ^^Father' Lord^f 

that were about Him with the twelve, came and asked of heaven and earth, because 

Him an explanation of the parable which He had delivered, things from the wise and 

saying, What might the spiritual meaning of this parable ^t^^^^ 

be ? and why speakest Thou unto them in parables/ 2 ) which xi.^25- G ] h th 
they do not understand ? He answered and said unto them 

j them unto us by His Spi- 

Reserve is uncalled-for in your case, because ye prize and ^JS^^j^ 
improve what is imparted for your instruction, and it is things of God. l Cor. ii. 
given (granted by Divine grace) unto such as you to know Having made known 
the mysteries e of the Kingdom of God, and the effect and Cwm.%ptf I ° f 
progress that Kingdom shall have among men ; but to them Th « mystery which 
who slight and neglect ivhat has been plainly taught them, it and from generations, but 
is not further given to know such things : to others there- JiJ ^fe^cS'sse.* 9 
fore, — to them that are without/ (3) — all these things are f Walk in wisdom to- 
done (are delivered) in parables. For whosoever profit- ^tlivT™™^' 
ably hath, — duly using and improving the talent vouchsafed ft ^^ t h ™^^ 
to him, — to him more shall be given, (4) and he shall have Thess. iv. 12. 



(' ) Some sixty and some an hundred fold. ] This 
is doubtless spoken in harmony with the then 
existing condition of the soil of Palestine, and we 
know that the largest return here mentioned 
repaid the labour and faith of the patriarch Isaac. 
This remarkable fertility of the land is confirmed 
by the testimony of Josephus(B. J. iii. 3), and by 
Tacitus (Hist. v. 6). Such produce is not unex- 
ampled elsewhere. Thus the land of Babylonia 
is said to have generally produced two-hundred 
fold — sometimes three-hundred (Herod. Clio. 
193); and Pliny, in his Natural History (lib. 
xviii. c. 10), relates, that in the superior soils of 
Africa, Egypt, and Sicily, wheat will produce 
by the bushel an hundred and fifty fold. 

( 2 ) Why speakest Thou unto them in parables? 
On the meaning of the word "Parable," see 
Section XL VII., Note 4. — Our Lord's frequent 
use of Parables was necessarily imposed upon 
Him by the character of His hearers, and by the 
peculiar circumstances in which their conduct 
placed Him: their blindness and wickedness was 
the reason of His so teaching them, and not His 
mode of teaching them the reason of their blind- 
ness. The fundamental doctrines and precepts 
of the Gospel were always clearly delivered to 
the people ; but many of the Parables embrace 
the mysteries relating to its progress, and the 
issue of it. Our Lord's enemies would have 
turned any positive declaration on such subjects 
to His premature destruction; and so Parables, 
which could not be laid hold of (however obvious 
their bearing), became a necessary precaution. 
Our Lord's example, under circumstances 
which can never occur again, cannot be now 
pleaded as a justification for Reserve in teach- 
ing Religion. The "Discipline of the Secret" 
(so termed by the Latins) may have been need- 
ful during the heat of persecution at the close 
of the second Century, but was very different 
from what is now practised by Romanists. It 



is the object of Revelation (as the word implies) 
to communicate, not to conceal, knowledge ; 
and this especially appears from what our Lord 
said after explaining this Parable of the Sower, 
Luke viii. 16, 17. 

Nothing could be better adapted than this 
peculiar mode of teaching to awaken the atten- 
tion of hearers, and, at the same time, to convey, 
without their immediately perceiving it, moral 
and spiritual truths; by their improvement of 
which it might be judged whether they would 
bear more explicit declarations of the things per- 
taining to the Kingdom of God. Again, to the 
great majority who feel strongly, but cannot 
reason accurately, argumentative instruction is 
dry and forbidding, while that conveyed through 
the imagination pleases and attaches itself to 
the memory. The obscurity in which a parable 
is involved excites curiosity, and the trouble it 
costs to elicit its meaning enhances its value: 
it gains the easiest admission into both head and 
heart, striking the deepest and remaining the 
longest. Parables also insinuate reproof with 
less offence and greater efficacy than open re- 
buke; and truths, imperfectly seen through this 
veil, will be endured, which, without any cover- 
ing, would be offensive to the hearer, and dan- 
gerous perhaps, to the speaker. This is strik- 
ingly illustrated in the Old Testament by the 
parable applied by Nathan to David. 

( 3 ) Them that are without.] This was an ap- 
pellation given by the Jews to the heathen. 
Our Saviour intimates that the Kingdom of God 
would shortly be taken from them, and that then 
they would be "without." 

( 4 ) Whosoever hath, to him shall be given, $£c.~\ 
This adage is to be applied to spiritual riches ; 
and under it is couched the lesson, that he who 
enjoys proper opportunities of religious know- 
ledge, and takes anxious care to improve them, 
will find his knowledge gradually increase. On 



122 



THE PARABLE OF THE SCWER. 



abundance ; but whosoever hath not, — making no use of 
his talent, and being as though he had it not, — from him 
shall be taken away even that he so unprofitahly hath. 
Therefore speak I to them in parables, because they will 
not properly employ the faculties bestowed on them ; they, 
seeing, see not, and hearing, they hear not, neither do they 
e — a rebellious house, understand.^ Their criminal folly will prove their punish- 
and C see ^ot f\1iey\ave merit, so that, although seeing My Miracles, they may see 
Ezek°^i a 2 and hear n0t ' the outward act only and not perceive its object ; and hear- 
— their minds were ing My doctrine, they may hear the words alone and not 

blinded: for until this , . ' . . , . , . , , - 

day remaineth the same understand their import; lest at any time they should be 
tS^T^S^^ converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And 
^ent^ which vail is done thus, by shutting their eyes against the light and stopping their 
m. 14. ears against instruction, in them is fulfilled (is made good) 

the prophecy of Esaias, (5) which saith, By hearing ye 

SHALL HEAR, AND SHALL (will) NOT UNDERSTAND, 
AND SEEING YE SHALL SEE, AND SHALL (will) NOT 
PERCEIVE : FOR THIS PEOPLE^S HEART IS WAXED 

gross that the Word cannot pierce it, and their ears 

ARE DULL OF HEARING, AND THEIR EYES THEY 
HAVE CLOSED, LEST AT ANY TIME THEY SHOULD 
SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR 
EARS, AND SHOULD UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART 
AND BE CONVERTED, AND I SHOULD HEAL THEM (see 

Isa. vi. 9, 10). But blessed are your eyes, for they see and 
own the Messiah in My miracles; and blessed are your ears, 
for they attentively hear My doctrine. For verily I say 
unto you, that many prophets and righteous men have 
h _ the mystery of desired to see those things which ye see, and have not 

Christ which in other ° J . ' 

ages was not made known seen them, and to hear those tnmgs which ye hear, and 
rTTs^^^veaied^unto have not heard them. h And He said also unto them, 
His holy apostles and Know ye not this Parable which is so plain? And how 

prophets by the Spirit. * x 

Eph. Ui. 4, 5. then will ye know all those other parables which are less 

— these all died in faith, „ TT r ,-, 7 ,. t i r 

not having received the so ? Hear ye therefore the explanation of the parable ol 

promises, but having seen ^ Sower \— 
them atar on, and were 

persuaded of them and Now the meaning of the parable is this : The seed 
em race em. e . xi. Sower soweth (disperseth) is the Word of God : i 

i — bom a«ain, not of And these are they represented as receiving the seed by the 
corruptible seed but of wa y-side, where the Word is sown; but when any one 

incorruptible, by the Word J J J 

of God. l Pet. i. 23. carelessly heareth the Word of the Kingdom of God, and 



the other hand, those who negligently manage 
what little opportunity they have, will find it 
come to nothing: the little which they have 
learned will slip out of their memory ; they will 
lose it, and so in that sense it will " he taken 
from them." — The phrase of w losing what a 
man hath not" was formerly proverbial for the loss 
of that little on which no value was set. So 
Juvenal says (Sat. iii. 108); 

"Nil habuit Codrus et tamen illud 

Perdidit infelix totum nil." 



( 5 ) The prophecy of Esaias.] The imperative 
(or Prophetic) form is used in our present Ver- 
sion of Isaiah. — Our Lord's own words, imme- 
diately preceding His citation of the prophecy, 
are well rendered in another Version : — " They 
overlook what they see and are inattentive to 
what they hear." So ^Eschylus : — 

tXenovres etXenov fidrrjv, 

K\vOVT€S OVK fjKOVOV. 

Prom. Fine. 44G— 47. 



THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 



123 



k Ye have overcome the 
■wicked one. 1 John ii. 
13. 

Cain, who was of that 
wicked one. 1 John iii. 



understandeth (considereth) it not, then Satan, the wicked 
one, k cometh immediately, and taketh away from such 
hearers the Word that was sown in their hearts, lest they 
should believe and be saved : this is he {the person signi- 12. 

77\i'i i ii i • i Your adversary the de- 

fied in the Parable) which received seed by the way-side. 
— And likewise (in like manner) these are they which re- 
ceived the seed on stony ground 1 — on the rock just beneath Pet - T - 8 - 
the soil; who, when they have heard the Word, immedi- 1 a new heart also win 
ately receive it with joy m — their desires of happiness being 
naturally excited by such glad tidings ; and yet these have 
no root in themselves, — neither firmness of purpose nor 
deep conviction in their hearts, — and so believe and endure 
but for a time : n afterward, in time of temptation, when 
affliction or persecution ariseth for the Word^s sake, imme- 
diately they are offended (they take offence) at the Gospel, 
and fall away°/rom it. — And these are they which received 
seed among the thorns : namely, such as hear the Word, 
apparently with attention, and yet, when they have heard, 
go forth into life from the sound of the Word; and the cares 
of this world.P and the deceitfulness of riches, 1 ! and the 
lusts (desire) of other things 1 ", entering in to the heart, 
choke (stifle) the Word, and so it becometh unfruitful : they P raise : the 7 soon for s at 

, . , j 7- 7. 7 7 /y. . , 7 o His works, they waited 

make indeed some slight ana partial efforts towards refor- 
mation, but they are at length choked with pleasures of this 
life, and bring no fruit to perfection. — /Vnd these are they you up to he afflicted, and 

, . , , , * shall kill you ; and ve 

which received seed into good ground ; namely, such as shall be hated of ail na- 
tions for My name's sake, 
and then shall many be 
offended. Matt. xxi'v. 9, 
10. 



vil, as a roaring lion, 
walketh about seeking 
whom he may devour. 1 



I give you, and a new 
Spirit will I put within 
you, and I will take away 
the stony heart out of 
your flesh. Ezek. xxxvi. 
26. 

m And, lo, thou art unto 
them as a very lovely song 
of one that hath a pleasant 
voice, and can play well 
on an instrument; for 
they hear thy words but 
they do them not. Ezek. 
xxxiii. 32. 

n Ye were willing for a 
season to rejoice in His 
light. John v. 35. 

° Then believed they 
His words ; thev sang His 



not for His counsel. Ps. 
cvi. 12, 13. 

Then shall they deliver 



attentively hear the Word, and understand ivhat is spoken, 
and receive it ivithout prejudice, and effectually keep it in 
(with) an honest and good heart, and with patience s bring 
forth the real and abiding fruit t of holiness — some thirty- 
fold, some sixty, and some an hundred-^bM. 



P And they all with one 
consent began to make 
excuse. The first said 
unto him, I have bought 

And He further said to them, Is a candle brought into a P iece of s round aud 1 

must needs "o and see it : 



ward heaven. Prov. xxiii. 



a room to be put under a bushel (a measure), or under a I pray thee have me ex- 
bed ^ (a couch or sofa), and not rather to be set on a cused " Luke * T " ia 
candlestick ? Surely no man, when he hath lio-hted a can- , q Riches certainly make 

. . . themselves wmgs ; they 

die, covereth it in this senseless manner with a vessel, or fly away as an eagle to- 
putteth it under a bed ; but setteth it on a candlestick, 
that they which enter in to the room may see the light 
and be guided in their movements by it 
impart light and instruction that it may be kept concealed : 
for all that I do being designed for the universal good, 



How hardly shall they 
that have riches enter into 
Even SO I do not the Kingdom of God. 

Mark x. 23. 

But they that will be 
rich fall into temptation 
and a snare, and into 
many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 1 Tim. vi. 9. 

r For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the 
Father, but is of the world. 1 John ii. 16. 

s But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James i. 4. 
1 He that abideth in Me and 1 in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. John xv. 5. — Walk worthy of the 
Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Col. i. 10, 
— For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren, nor unfruitful, in the 
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Pet. i. S. 



( 6 ) A bed.~\ Here is meant the couch on 
which they reclined at meals. This piece of 
furniture had a cavity, where any article could 



be placed. The allusion is equivalent to saying 
that "a candle should be put on the table, and 
not under it." 



124 



THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER. 



nothing is said in secret by Me now, that shall not be made 
manifest {revealed) in due time; neither is anything hid, 
that shall not afterwards be known and come publicly 
* There is nothing co- abroad. u / say more especially unto you who are appointed 
veaied^andhtd that^Vaii t° teach others, If any man among you have ears to hear, 
not be known. What i \ e j- fo m oe anxious to hear aright, so as to understand and 

tell you m darkness that . . 

speak ye in light; and do these things. — And He said yet again unto them, Take 

what ye hear in the ear, i i ,i r i ,,/»• 

that preach ye upon the heed therefore what ana now you hear : v for, in propor- 
housetops. Matt. x. 26, n on f 0 your fidelity will be your reward : with what mea- 
sure ye mete it shall be measured to you ; and unto you 

v Therefore we ought to J _ , • 

give the more earnest heed that attentively hear, shall more be given, — each man 
have^healS, 8 teS^a? any according to the proficiency he makes. For, as I have told 
sii^ 'iiefii 11 ! kt the ™ y° u airea dy> ne tnat improveth what he hath, to him shall 
be given abundantly ; and he that hath not improved his 
means of information or any other grace which may be 
vouchsafed to him, from him shall be taken away even that 
which he hath [which he seemeth to have, Luke], 
J dh98 Ifads asm lo hg& edi. sss^ *«o\ % bfrow eidl to brrs od) 
jfflsdj iiEcot ,m-idisid -gaffl biH \o iuo ladis'® Iffirie \sd$ has t gl9gnA biH diio\ 

SECTION LI. 

The Parable of the Tares of the Field. 

Matt. xiii. 24—30, 36—43. 

„^£0©MK to eisiiow B\ , » \ 9V A i~ n-crfT rliia* %rs -nrr rrfaorfTs hrtr. -nrrrl rfi'// ciff 

» For precept must he A N OTHER parable 3 put He forth unto them (the peO" 
^^r^me^upoS 1 "?!!^ i^L J»/e ctf large), saying, The Kingdom of Heaven (the 
little "and there a h httk G° s P e l Dispensation) is Z>e likened (is like) unto /^e case 
Tsa. xxvih. 10. 0 y a man which sowed good seed in his field. But while 

men slept (during the night) his enemy came, and sowed 
tares (cockle or darnel) among the wheat, and went his way. 
For a time this stratagem was not perceived, as the tares re- 
sembled the wheat during their early growth; but when the 
blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, which was 
the best evidence of the quality of what had been sown, then 
plainly appeared the tares also. So the servants of the 
householder (they who lived in the farm-house with the owner 
of the property) came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou 
not sow good seed in thy field ? from whence then hath it 
tares ? He, answering, said unto them, An enemy of mine 
hath evidently done this. Then the servants said unto 
him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up ? But 
b Some men's sins are he said, Nay, do not so now, lest while ye gather up the 
^ T jf^^T g JSld tares, ye hastily root up also the wheat which grows with 
some men they follow them: let both grow together until the harvest: 15 and in 

after. 1 Tim. v. 24. ° . f 

the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, Gather ye 
hand, and He will through- together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn 
gX7Stt: r H a „ n toS" them; but gather the wheat into my barm* 
gamer; hnt ^ ch ^ He Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into 
quenchahie. Luke hi. 17. the house in which he lodged at Capernaum: and His 



THE PARABLE OF THE TARES OF THE FIELD. 



125 



disciples came unto Him, saying, Declare (explain) unto d Their sound went into 

r 7 J n T j , all the earth, and their 

us the parable of the tares 01 the held. He answered and words unto the end of the 

said unto them: He that soweth the good seed in the world - Rom x18 - 

parable is (represents) the Son of man, the Great Preacher £-^ f 

of the Gospel: the field is the world/ throughout which your father ye will do. 

• 7 771 jj ^.1, John viii. 44. 

the Gospel is to be preached: the good seed are the o mi of ail subtaty 

children of the Kingdom, which bring forth fruits ofholi- ^t^™y 

ness in their season; but the tares are the children of ©fan righteousness. Acta 

Satan the wicked one, e whose works they do ; yet God does ' 

not root out such offenders in this ivorld, lest the righteous earnest oTthT tetrple! 

should suffer with ihem: the enemy that sowed them is the ^j'^t^l^ °lhe 

devil : the harvest is the end of the world, when the great cioud,Thmst in Thy sickle 

day of Judgment shall take place : and the reapers are the come for Thee to reap, for 

Angels/ who will be employed in the services of that day. ^^l^iT^ ™ 

As therefore the tares in the parable are, by command of gJt magt bg ^ 

the owner of the field, to be gathered together at the time of offences come, hut, w 0 

7 , , . , . , r 7 . 7 -, ,, ., •, . to that man by whom the 

harvest, and burned m the nre, so likewise snail it be in 0 ff en ce cometh. Matt, 

the end of this world : for then the Son of man shall send XV ^J' x beseecll you 

forth His Angels, and they shall gather out of His King- "brethren, mark them 

rr -\ 77 7 j j. 7 j? ^hich cause divisions and 

dom ail things that onend,s — all hypocrites, ana teachers of offences contrary to the 

corrupt doctrine,— and them which do iniquity ; h and those J£g ^ av / d e £g 

executioners of divine vengeance shall cast them into hell, Rom - 17 • 

which is as a furnace of unquenchable flre: 1(1) there shall h Depart from Me, all 

be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then, at last, shall the LuklxUi!^?. 0 imomt) ' 

righteous shine forth publicly acknowledged, and glorious 1 p 0 r behold the day 

as the sun, k in the kingdom of God their Father ^ And cometh that shall burn a» 

' ' o an oven ; and all the proud, 

this misery, or this happiness, must be the lot of every living yea, aud ] ^ th t at b ^° wick * 

soul — a truth the most solemn which can be proclaimed : the dav that cometh shall 

Who therefore hath ears to hear, let him hear ! »% JjfflS 

leave them neither root nor branch. Mai. iv. 1. — And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet .... 
these both were cast alive into a lake of fire, burning with brimstone. Rev. xix. 20. 

k And they that be wise, shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness 

as the stars for ever and ever. Dan. xii. 3. —And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a 
crown of glnrv that f'adefh not awav. 1 Pet. v. 4. 



(!) A furnace of fire.'] This is an allusion to 
the Oriental custom of burning alive, as men- 
tioned by Daniel (iii. 11), where those who 
would not worship the image were "cast into 
the midst of a burning fiery furnace." At Matt, 
v. 22, the expression is used as equivalent to 
"hell-fire," 

(*) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the 
sun, $-c] It is in such general images that 
Divine Wisdom has seen fit to shadow forth to 
us the Happiness of the blessed. Yet quite 
enough is revealed to confirm our faith in its 
reality, and encourage the last glorious hope of 
the Christian. First the Church plainly collects 
from both Covenants that the righteous are to 
rise again with their own glorified bodies re- 
united to their own souls (see Section C VIII. 
6). — There are also Scriptural grounds for be- 
lieving that there will be Degrees of Bliss 
assigned according to the attainments of each 
in holiness (see Section CII. 9). — In those 
heavenly mansions sorrow and pain will be 
known no more ; for there remaineth at last 
that rest for the people of God which here they 
are destined always to seek, never to enjoy 



(Rev. vii. 14; xiv. 13; xxi. 4). — Among the 

positive sources of enjoyment will be the increase 
of knowledge, so little of which can be arrived at 
here, though the soul, as an active and reflecting 
essence, experiences a real pleasure in the pur- 
suit and possession of it (1 Cor. xiii. 12). Faith 
itself (as the evidence of things not seen) will 
at last give place to certainty. — Then the good 
shall be fully acquainted with God Himself, 
beholding the All-Perfect Being as He is, no 
longer enshrouded in mystery and terror. — The 
good will further be made happy in the society 
of one another. Then (let us indulge so pleasing 
a hope) we shall be reunited to those with whom 
nature or friendship has intimately bound our 
hearts : for it is quite agreeable to right Reason 
(which Revelation will never be found to con- 
tradict) to suppose that the relations in which a 
wise and paternal Providence has placed us here, 
are in connection with our destination through 
all eternity. — Lastly, the recompense which God 
will bestow on His faithful servants is to be 
Everlasting. It is the perpetuity of Bliss, — the 
certainty of never losing it, — which makes it 
truly Bliss. 



126 



SECTION LII. 

Various Parables are spoken, haying reference to the effects 
and astonishing progress of the gospel. 

Matt. xiii. 31 — 35, 44 — 53. Mark iv. 26 — 34. Luke xiii. 18 — 21. 



A 1 



ND He said also to the multitude, So is it with the doc- 
trine of the Kingdom of God, when faithfully received 
into a good heart, as if a man should cast good seed into 
the ground ; and having done so, should sleep and rise, as 
usual, night and day, and the seed should spring and grow 
up imperceptibly — he knoweth not how : for the earth, by 
a And the earth brought God's providence, bringeth forth fruit of herself a (sponta- 
Sin^id ^tei^hS n eously as it were, and ivithout the continued aid of man) ; 
"kind, and the tree yield- fi rs t the tender blade, then the stalk with the ear in its 

ing fruit, whose seed is in r N " „ 

itself, after his kind : and green state, alter that the mil corn [the ripe and perfect 
Gen.tl^ tifc — 9 rain ) in tne ear - b(,) But. when the fruit is thus brought 

b a shock of corn ^ or ^ n t° maturity, immediately he {the husbandman) putteth 

cometh in Ms season. Job in the sickle, because the harvest is come. 0 Thus will it be 

' He hath made every with the Christian Church : the seed of the Gospel shall be 
disclosed by a gradual development, « to the Jew first and 

• afterward to the Gentile ;" it shall be transmitted slowly 

e And another Angel ° _ ° 

came out of the temple, from town to city, and from province to country. In like 
t?HL W that a saTin VO the manner is it with individual members of the Church: they 
siciie and^ap "for The ^ ncrease in heavenly wisdom day by day, and bring forth 
time is come for Thee to fruit with patience, although their qrowth in grace be im- 

reap, for the harvest of the J ,.,,=, , ' i A* i 

earth is ripe. Rev. xiv perceptible to others, and often to themselves. At length, 
l5, when the fulness of time arrives, the Heavenly Husbandman 

will "put in His sickle" to reap the great harvest of the 
world, and ivill "gather the wheat into His garner" 

Another parable put He forth unto them, and said ; 
Whereunto shall we liken the doctrine of the Kingdom of 
God? or with what comparison shall we compare it 
[whereunto shall I resemble it? Luke], that you may 



( ) First the blade, then the ear, <|-c] The 
growth of seed aptly illustrates the progress of 
the Gospel in the world, and particularly the 
growth of grace in the heart of man. As the seed 
springs up," the husbandman knoweth not how," 
"so is every one that is born of the Spirit:" 
human means are employed, but it is God alone 
who giveth the gradual increase (1 Cor. iii. 6) : 
the Christian principle progresses until the 
full corn is produced in the ear, and in its due 
season the shock is gathered into the Garner of 
God. — Unhappily, no doctrine has been more 
unobserved or forgotten by enthusiasts than this. 
Conversion has been represented as an operation 
always completed suddenly, and sometimes in- 
stantaneously, while the triumph of such sup- 
posed conversions has been attended by alterna- 
tions of ecstatic joy and the most gloomy despair. 



Such special conversions, though net impossible, 
are certainly not the ordinary w T ay of God's 
dealing with Christians. There are some who, 
having been once regenerated by water and the 
Holy Spirit, have so improved the sanctifying 
graces, and preserved the even tenour of their 
way, that it cannot be supposed they stand in 
need of an entire change of heart, or thorough 
conversion from their ways. According to the 
notions of the Church, the conversion of sinners 
may be said to consist of a rational conviction of 
sin and sense of danger, of a heart-felt sorrow at 
having offended God, with steadfast purpose of 
amendment under the blessing of divine grace : 
after a regular employment of all the means of 
grace, such a course will be sure to be followed by 
resolute perseverance in well doing. 



THE GOSPEL DISPENSATION ILLUSTRATED BY PARABLES. 



127 



apprehend it best ? The kingdom of heaven is like to a 
grain of mustard-seed, which a man took and cast into his 
garden [sowed in his field, Matt.] ; which indeed is one 
of the least of all seeds (2) that be cast in to the earth : but 
when it is sown its due time, it groweth up in a wonderful 
manner, and becometh greater than all other herbs, and 

waxeth, as it ivere, a great tree, (3 ) so that the fowls of the d In the mountain of 

j 1 j t n j j 7 . N • , , 1 1 the height of Israel will I 

air may come and lodge (find shelter) m the branches, plant it (the Gospel), and it 

under the shadow of it* Even so the Kingdom of the *^^fftS^tl 

Messiah, previous to His death and burial, — or the sowing of goodly cedar ; and under 

yjr , 7 . j it shall dwell all fowl of 

His body in the earth, — will have but a small and insensible every wing; in the shadow 

increase; but afterwards it will become as a magnificent sLi^-the^Xeii! E^ekf 

tree, e stretching forth its branches into all lands, and yield- xvii - 23 - 

inq its refuge and shelter to multitudes : for " when He is e 1 saw, and hehoid a 

j TT '11 j 77 n, TT' 3) tiee ilX llie mklst ° f th<? 

lifted Up, He Will draw all men after Him. earth, and the height there- 

Another parable to the same purpose spake He unto ^^^^,2 

them. The doctrine of the kingdom of heaven is like, in the height thereof reached 

0 77\i'i un t° heaven, and the sight 

its powerful effect, unto leaven [or sour dough), which a thereof to the end of ail 

woman took and hid (covered up) in three measures of Ewo? were k£ anfthe 

meal, (4) till by insensible fermentation the whole mass was fruit thereof much, and in 

7 ' m it was meat tor all : the 

leavened. So shall the doctrine of the Kingdom spread beasts of the held had 

7 , 7 77 , 7 .7 , x • 7 • 7 • 7 • shadow under it, and the 

over and season the whole earth : that which is now hid m a fow ] s of the i ieav en dwelt 

remote province of the Roman empire, shall gradually pene- ^Sh^wS ^eToVit 3 

trate and pervade the entire heathen world. Dan. iv. 10—12. 



( 2 ) The least of all seeds.] This, and the seed 
becoming "a great tree," are expressions not 
literally but proverbially spoken. The mustard- 
seed was the smallest object possessed of life and 
expansive force, though not comparatively smaller 
than that which, in its infancy, it is here designed 
to represent, for Christianity was, as it were, 
raised almost out of nothing, and against every- 
thing. — The Jews frequently used the smallness 
of the seed as a comparison (see Matt. xvii. 20); 
and several of their writers speak of this arbores- 
cent (or tree-like) vegetable as being, in that soil 
and climate, large enough to admit a man to 
climb into, like a fig-tree. In parts of our own 
country it has been seen larger than most shrubs ; 
and a late traveller in the East tells us, that he 
found it sometimes growing to the height of 
fifteen feet. — It has been thought by some that 
our Lord might here intend a species of Phyto- 
lacca, of the same natural order and having the 
same properties as the mustard : this shrub is 
common in Palestine, and has the minutest seed 
of any tree there. 

( 3 ) A great tree.] Our Lord here seems to 
have had particularly in view the dream of 
Nebuchadnezzar (referred to above in the 
Margin), where the nature and advantages of 
Civil Government are represented by a great tree 
with spreading branches, and which contained 
" meat for all." Time has expounded this 
parable of the Gospel Kingdom in a remarkable 
manner. We need only refer for proofs to hea- 
then authors, indisputably genuine, and who only 
incidentally allude to the fact. The Apostles 
began to disperse themselves among the Gentiles 
about the beginning of the reign of the Emperor 
Claudius, and before the end of that reign, 



Christians became so numerous at Rome, as to 
give umbrage to the government; for Suetonius, 
who mistook Christianity for a sect of Judaism, 
records, that " the Emperor banished from Rome 
the Jews, who being excited by Christ (Christo 
impulsore) made continual tumults." Not long 
after, Tacitus, speaking of the persecution of the 
Christians under Nero, describes them as "a 
vast multitude." Under Trajan, Pliny (one of 
the provincial governors) observes, that the 
Emperor thought it evident that Christians 
ought to be put to death, but was perplexed by 
the great numbers on whom that extreme pu- 
nishment seemed to have no influence: "The 
persons accused" (he says, in his celebrated letter 
to the Emperor) "are of all ages, of each sex, of 
every rank, — slaves and Roman citizens ; the con- 
tagion has spread itself not oaly in the cities and 
towns, but through the whole country; the tem- 
ples are desolate, the religious solemnities long 
intermitted, and few purchasers of the victims are 
to be found." In the succeeding reign, Adrian 
himself thus writes from Egypt : " Nobody here 
is unemployed, all are industrious : they have 
only one God: Him the Christians, Him the 
Jews, Him all the Gentiles worship." Such 
astonishing progress did the Gospel make within 
a century after our Lord's Resurrection : and in 
Tertullian's time, A.D. 200, we find that the 
Gospel had spread to the utmost bounds of 
Spain; throughout Gaul and Britain; also over 
Germany, Scythia, and many other nations, pro- 
vinces, and islands unknown to the Roman 
empire (see Section CX1L, Note 11). 

( 4 ) Three measures of meal] This quantity 
is mentioned as being the usual quantity for 
baking (see Gen. xviii. 6). 



128 



THE GOSPEL DISPENSATION ILLUSTRATED BY PARABLES. 



» I have yet many All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in 

things to say unto you, , , 1 • t i i i t tt , 

but ye cannot bear them parables ; and with many such parables spake He the 
now. Johnxvi. 12. Word unto them, as they were able to hear it f without 
offence, or had the capacity to profit by it : and without a 
parable spake He not unto them at that time and in that 
place — knowing that they would not then appreciate what 
He said, and that His enemies were still lying in wait to 
catch Him in His words : that it might be fulfilled also in 
Him which was spoken by the Prophet saying, I will, 
open My mouth in parables ; (5 > I will utter 

e— the revelation of the THINGS WHICH HAVE BEEN KEPT SECRET FROM THE 

mystery which was kept 

secret since the world be- FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD % [See Ps. IXXVlll. 2). And 

manifest.* Rom. "vi™^ ^ e f ree ty expounded all these things to His disciples, when 
26 - they were alone with Him. 

i» Christ, in whom are Again, that He might promote the zeal and diligence 

hid all the treasures of » TT . 7 . . , . 7 . , . 

wisdom and knowledge, of His disciples in searching into and teaching these great 
Col. u. 2, 3. truths, He said: The kingdom of heaven (the Gospel dis- 

i I count all things but p ensa ti on ) is like unto a great treasure hid h in a field ; the 

loss for the excellency of ■*■ i ' ° 7 

the knowledge of Christ which when a man hath found, he hideth (covereth it up, — 

Jesns my Lord : for whom 7 7 7 . in. \ i c • , i p n 

I have suffered the loss of or concealeth his good fortune), and tor joy thereof goeth and 
1L^^*rt\££ selleth a11 that he hath, 1 and buyeth k that field,W that he 
win Christ. Phil. iii. 8. ma y secure a legal right to the treasure it contains. So there 
b Ho, every one that are cases in which the Gospel graciously offers itself to 

thirsteth, come ye to the 7 . • 7 7 7 ^ 7 .. P 7 n .-. , 7 , 7 

waters, and he that hath individuals ; and brod is sometimes "found of them that seek 

no money ; come ye, buy JJlin figf ,} 
and eat; yea come buy 

wine and milk without Or again, The kingdom of heaven is like unto the 

money and without price. i , n i, / , 77 . « 77 \ i 

i sa . iv. i. conduct of a merchantman (a travelling jeweller), seek- 

ofMTgoTd 1 SfedTn ae in S to P urcJiase goodly pearls ; 1 ^ who, when he had 
fire that thou mayest be found one pearl of great price (of exceeding value), he went 
and sold all that he had, and bought it. The Gospel is 

1 Wisdom is better than 7 7 . . 77 , • /» 7 j»» 

rubies, and all the things as a rare pearl, exceeding precious and beautiful; and those 
that may be desired are w j w ^ e £ re n s blessings, must be prepared to part, if it be 

not to be compared to it. 7 1 1 s 7 J 

Prov. vni. ii. needful, ivith every earthly advantage to secure them. 

™ So those servants Again — to take another illustration from objects familiar 

ways 0 and Un gathered hl8 to" 1° many of you — The success of the kingdom of heaven (of 

getheraii as many as they ^ Gospel doctrine and dispensation) is like unto a drag 

found, both bad and good . 

and the wedding was fur- net that was cast into the sea ; and which, sweeping all 
xxii? io V th guests ' x att ' within its reach, gathered fish of every kind, m good and 



( 5 ) / will open my mouth in parables. ] The 
words do not exactly agree either with the He- 
brew text or the Greek version ; but they are 
not quoted by the Evangelists as a prophecy, 
being merely adopted as an accommodation to our 
Lord's case. The words may possibly be written 
by Asaph, and not David. The term " founda- 
tion" is properly used of the founding of build- 
ings, but has been classically applied to the be- 
ginning of anything: it was especially used of 
the world, because, according to the common 
notions of ancient times, the world was thought 
to be an immense plain surface resting on 
foundations. 

( 6 ) And buyeth that field.~\ The man's con- 



duct is not vindicated ; for on strict principles he 
ought to have informed the owner of the field of 
his discovery : the point of the parable lies in his 
earnestness to obtain the treasure. 

( 7 ) Seeking goodly pearls.'] As the preceding 
parable describes men as sometimes sought by 
the Gospel, so here their receiving it is shown 
to be the effect of their diligently seeking for 
truth. And this is the ordinary course. Men 
are not to sit with their arms folded, and to try 
the patience of God. They are not to rest till 
" the treasure" is obtained. — Some treat religion 
as nothing ; others make it a little thing ; but it 
deserves to be accounted everything, and is always 
to be made the chief thing. 



THE GOSPEL DISPENSATION ILLUSTRATED IN PARABLES. 



129 



bad; which, when it was full, they {the fishermen) drew to 
shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, 
but cast the bad away. (8) So likewise shall it be at the end 
of the world. The Gospel is sent into the world, as a net is 
cast into the sea ; it reaches unto multitudes, and, for the 
present, the bad and the good are mixed together ; but when 
the net is quite full, and in God's appointed time is drawn 
in, many will be found not deserving of being saved : then 
the Angels shall come forth at the command of Christ, and 
sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them 
into the unquenchable furnace of hell-fare ; there shall be 
the extremity of misery, — wailing and gnashing of teeth. n 

Then Jesus, — willing to have taught them further if it 
had been needful, — graciously saith unto them, Have ye 
now understood all these things ? They say unto Him, 
Yea, Lord. Then said He unto them ; Therefore (Since 
that is the case) see that ye use your knowledge aright ; for 
^very scribe (every teacher) which is thoroughly instructed 
unto the doctrines and mysteries of the Kingdom of 
Heaven, is like unto a man that is an householder, which 
bringeth forth out of his treasure (his storehouse of provi- 
sions) things new and old, 0 as occasion may require, to feed 
his family. So must you learn to produce from the Law 
and the Prophets, and especially from this New Dispensa- 
tion of the Gospel, whatever you shall find needful to feed 
the family and household of God, 

And it came to pass that when Jesus had finished 
these parables, He departed thence. 



n When the Son of man 
shall come in His glory, 
and all the holy angels 
with Him, then shall He 
sit upon the throne of His 
glory, and hefore Him 
shall be gathered all na- 
tions : and He shall sepa- 
rate them one from an- 
other, as a shepherd divi- 
deth his sheep from the 
goats: and He shall set 
the sheep on His right 
hand, but the goats on His 
left. . . . then shall He say 
unto them on His left 
hand, Depart from Me 
ye cursed, into everlasting 
fire. Matt. xxv. 31—33, 
41. 

3 At our gates are all 
manner of pleasant fruits, 
new and old, which I 
have laid up for thee, O 
My beloved. Song of Sol. 
vii. 13. 

The lips of the righteous 
feed many. Prov. x. 21. 



SECTION LIII. 

Jesus exhorts some who had followed Him to the water-side 
not to turn back from the gospel ; and, in crossing the 
lake with hls disciples, calms a hurricane* 

Matt. viii. 18—27. Mark iv. 35 — 41. Luke viii. 22—25; ix. 57—62. 

AND the same day,— when the even was come,— when 
Jesus saw great multitudes about Him; being unwil- 
ling to keep them long together for fear of sedition, and 
needing for Himself some repose, He gave commandment 
to depart, and said unto His disciples, Let us go over unto 
the other side of the Lake. 

And tjiey set out: and it came to pass that, as they 
went in the way to the water-side, a certain Scribe, loth to 



( 8 ) But cast the bad away.~\ The law directed, 
" Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the 
waters, that shall he an abomination unto you" 
(Lev. xi. 12). Thus the Hebrew fishermen 



must have been obliged to throw away, as use« 
less, some portion of the fish which they took in 
their nets. 

K 



130 



WAVERERS ARE ANSWERED. 



lose Ms share in the advantages of the Messiah's temporal 
kingdom, came and said unto Him, Lord [Master, Matt.], 
I am ready to become one of Thy disciples, and will follow 
Thee whithersoever Thou goest. And Jesus, knowing the 
motives of this Scribe, saith unto him, If worldly prospects 
have urged thee to this, thou wilt be disappointed ; for the 
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but 
the Son of man hath not where to lay His own head, — 
much less to provide accommodation for His followers. 

And He said unto another of His disciples, — an occa- 
sional attendant only upon His ministry, — Follow Me with 
more regularity, as these My appointed servants do. But 
he, to whom this was addressed, said unto Him, Lord, 
suffer me first to go home and bury my father then I 
ivill attend thee gladly. But Jesus, wishing to make an 
extraordinary trial of his faith, or perceiving his want of 
» He that lovetii father firmness, said unto him, Follow me a now, and let the 

or mother more than Me, , , , i i • i i 7 

is not worthy of Me dead b bury their dead — leave those who are spiritually 

MattTa? ^LukTSv. " dead in trespasses and sins 99 to attend to those who are 

26 - naturally dead: the state of the latter cannot now be 

b The dead tnat hear changed, and as the former will not serve God, they may do 

man shall live. John v. such offices as well as others : but go thou forthwith, when 

2 °beadinvour sins. Col Lo?*d of life and death commands, and preach the king- 

»■ is. " dom of God. 

She that liveth in plea- . 7 . • 7 i •-iT-i-r-n 

sure is dead while she And another wavering disciple also said, Lord, 1 will 
^Tknow th^wOTks", that follow thee henceforth with constancy, but let me first go 
thou hast a name that thou to make hioivn my intention, and bid them farewell which 

hvest, and art dead. Eev. _ 

m. l. are at home at my house. 0 And Jesus, knowing that this 

cAndEiisha ran after was but an excuse, — or, that he would be persuaded by Ms 
f ptythelkt^myltS fiends not to return— said unto him, No man having put 
and my mother, and then i his hand to the plough (2) and looking back (having once 

will follow thee. 1 Kings r . . . , 

xix. 20. undertaken My service, and preferring to it any worldm 

d i press toward the business), is fit for the kingdom of God. d 
Sgf Sling P of Z Go°d "in And wlien the Y {the Apostles) had sent away the mul- 

Christ Jesus. Phil. iii. titude, thev took Him, even tired as He was, — ivithout 

14. 

stopping for rest or refreshment, — into the ship. And 
when He was entered in, His disciples followed Him ; and 
they then launched forth. And there were also with Him 



0) Suffer me first to go and bury my father.'] 
His father, if not dead, must have been at the 
point of death. Similar conduct could not be 
justified under different circumstances. It was 
regarded as a solemn duty among the Jews to 
cherish their parents, and especially to pay them 
the last rites : but here was a direct and explicit 
command from God; and it was one of those 
cases where even father and mother are to be left 
for the sake of the Gospel. No man can ima- 
gine that our blessed Lord was indifferent to filial 
duties, when, from the Cross itself, He provided 
for the comfort of His earthly parent's declining 
years. 



( 2 ) No man having put his hand to the plough, 
<Jfc] This may be applied generally to all Chris- 
tians, though particularly urgent on ministers of 
the Gospel. " To put the hand to the plough," 
was a common adage of the Greeks for under- 
taking any work ; and there is a saying by 
Hesiod (lib. ii. v. 61), that "the man who 
ploughs must not look off his work to his asso- 
ciates." The ancient plough was little more than 
a crooked piece of wood : without attention to the 
business, the share would glide over the surface 
without makiug any furrows ; and if the workman 
looked back, he could not make them regular, 
nor could he cast his seed evenly before him. 



JESUS STILLS THE TEMPEST. 



131 



{accompanying the vessel in which He was) other little 
ships. And as they sailed, He, being wearied with the 
labours of the day, fell asleep ; and behold, there came 
down a great storm of wind (3) {a hurricane) on the lake, 
which was subject to sudden squalls of this kind. And 
there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the 
ship was at times covered with the waves ; and at length 
the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full of 
watei*, and they were in extreme jeopardy. — And He was 
in the hinder part [the stem) of the ship, asleep on a 
pillow (on the cushion usually placed there) . 

And His disciples came to Him and awoke Him say- 
ing, Master, Master, carest Thou not that we perish and 
are exposed to so imminent clanger! Save us, Lord, for we 
are even now about to perish ! e And He saith unto them, 
Why are ye so fearful, O ye of little faith ? f Where is your 
faith ? How is it that ye have no faith,s after such frequent 
experience of My power and love for you ? Then He arose 
and majestically rebuked the winds and the raging of the 
water ; and said unto the sea, Peace, be still ! And He had 
no sooner spoken the words, than the wind ceased, and 
there was a great calm.W 

But the men (the mariners and disciples) marvelled : 
and, overcome with awe at what they had seen, they 
feared exceedingly,^ and said one to another, What manner 
of man is this— how vast his power — that commandeth not 
diseases only, but raging elements, — even the winds and the 
sea, — and they at once obey him ! h 



e Awake, why sleepest 
Thou, O Lord? Arise, cast 
us not off for ever. Ps. 
xliv. 23. 

f But when Peter saw 
the wind boisterous, he 
was afraid ; and beginning 
to sink, he cried, saying, 
Lord, save me. And im- 
mediately Jesus stretched 
forth His hand and caught 
him, and said unto him, 
O thou of little faith, 
wherefore didst thou doubt? 
Matt. xiv. 30, 31. 

s God is our refuge and 
strength, a very present 
help in trouble. Therefore 
will we not fear, though 
the earth be removed, and 
though the mountains be 
carried into the midst of 
the sea. Ps. xlri. 1, 2. 

When thou passest 
through the waters, I will 
be with thee. Isa. xliii. 
2. 

h Who shut up the sea 
with doors when it brake 
forth, and said, Hitherto 
shalt thou come but no 
further, and here shall thy 
prood waves be stayed. 
Job xxxviii. 8, 11. 

Thou rulest the raging 
of the sea ; when the waves 
thereof arise, Thou stillest 
them. Ps. Ixxxix. 9. 

He makefh the storm a 
calm, so that the waves 
thereof are still. Ps. cvii. 
29. 



SECTION LIV. 

The demoniacs of Gadara are healed on the other side of 
the Lake ; but, at the request of the inhabitants, Jesus 
quits their territory, and sails back again. 

Matt. viii. 28—34; ix. 1. Mark v. 1—21, Luke viii. 26—40. 



AND they came over unto the other side of the sea of 
Tibmas (or Lake of Gennesaret), and arrived at the 
country of the Gadarenes (1) or Gergesenes, which is over 



( 3 ) A great storm of icind.] Modern tra- 
vellers describe the Lake as still subject to these 
violent squalls, although apparently well protected. 
The passage of the Jordan through it is marked at 
all times by a strong current, and when this is 
opposed by contrary winds, which blow w T ith the 
force of a hurricane from the south-east, and 
sweep down into the lake from the hollow of the 
mountains, a boisterous sea is quickly raised. 

( 4 ) And there was a great calm.'] An unde- 
niable proof of the reality of the miracle ; for after 



a storm, the sea never becomes perfectly smooth 
until some time has elapsed. 

( 5 ) They feared exceedingly.] They were par- 
ticularly confounded with this miracle, because 
it was the first proof our Lord had given of His 
dominion over the elements, which were naturally 
considered to be less subject to human -power 
than bodily distempers. 

0) Country of the Gadarenes.] This territory 
was attached to that of the Gergesenes, or ancient 

K 2 



132 



THE GADARENE DEMONIACS HEALED. 



against Galilee. And when He was come out of the ship 
in order to land, there met Him immediately two men 

* A people that provo- possessed with devils, — coming out of the tombs a {the 
uaiiy to My face .... excavated vaults) of the cemetery attached to a neighbouring 
^^/andk^in the exceeding fierce {savage and mischievous), so that no 
monuments, — which eat man might safely pass by that way. One of these was a 

swines flesh. Isa. Ixv. . & J r J . { . » , * 

3,4. certain man with an unclean spirit, out 01 {formerly 

belonging to) the city, which it was known had been pos- 
sessed with devils a long time; who wore no clothes, 
neither abode in any house, but had his dwelling among 
the tombs, constructed there out of the sides of the rocks. 
And no man could effectually bind him — no, not with 
chains : because that he had been often bound with fetters 
{ropes) and chains, and the chains on his hands had been 
plucked {torn violently) asunder by him, and the fetters on 
his feet broken [rubbed and crushed) in pieces. Neither 
could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he 
was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying aloud, and 
cutting himself with stones, because he could not vent his 
rage upon others. But, furious as this unfortunate creature 
usually was, when he saw Jesus yet afar off, he immediately 
ran up to the spot where He was landing, and fell down 
reverentially before Him, and worshipped Him, — doing 
«> They that dwell in Him obeisance. h And the unclean spirit within him cried 

the wilderness shall how -, -. . •. • , tt T1 . n T , , . , 

before Him; and His out with a loud voice and said, What nave 1 to do with 

~ ie p S S hc a xii. 9.^ ^ Thee ' JeSUS > Th0U S ° n ° f the M ° St Hi § h God? ° Iam 

The devils also believe no follower of Thine, for Thou art Light and I am dark- 

d tremble. James ii. 19. . T , , „, T ,. 1 ^ , . 

ness! I beseech Thee, — I adjure lhee by God, — that 
Thou torment me not : art Thou come hither to torment 

Art thou come unto me me before the day of Judgment, the time d appointed for 

to call my sin to remem- p . d - o * -t *r 

brance? I Kings xvu. is. punishment ? — For He {Jesus) had commanded the unclean 

* God spared not the spirit, and said unto him, Come out of the man, thou 
unclean spirit. And the demon was now in dread of pun- 
ishment for ivhat he had done; for oftentimes it had caught 

reserved unto judgment, him, seizing him in the most violent manner ; and though 
2 Ami "the devil that de- ne was kept bound with chains and in fetters, he broke 
ceived them was cast into i oose ; an d a t length he brake all the bands that were 

the lake ot fare and brim- ° 

where the beast and fastened upon him, and was driven of the devil {the raging 



and 



c What have I to do with 
thee. O thou man of God ? 



angels that sinned, but 
cast them down to hell, 
and delivered them into 
chains of darkness, to be 



the false prophet are, and 7 

shall be tormented day demon within him) into the wilderness, or waste places 



and night for ever. Rev. aomt ffa ^fy, 

xx. 10. J 



And Jesus asked the unclean spirit in him, saying, 
What is thy name ? (2) And he answered, saying, My name 



Girgasites (Gen. x. 16). Gadara is enumerated 
bv Piiny and Josephus as amongst the cities of 
Decapolis. A great part of its inhabitants were 
neathens, and hence the large herds of swine 
which the Jews ventured to keep on the eastern 
si i ores of the Lake. Through the righteous judg- 
ment of God, visited upon this people for their 
ungrateful treatment of His Son, Gadara was 
the first city which fell into the hands of the 



Romans, in the fatal w r ar under Vespasian. It 
suffered on that occasion the greatest extre- 
mities. 

( 2 ) What is thy name? ] Spirits, both good 
and evil, are always represented in Scripture as 
having names. These appear to have been given 
by men, or assumed by the spirits in accommoda- 
tion to human customs. Our Lord did not ask 
the name through ignorance, but to elicit an 



THE GADARENE DEMONIACS HEALED. 



133 



is Legion {Multitude), for we are many e — because indeed e Then goeth he and 

-i-i i ' ii-ii taketh with himself seven 

many devils were entered into mm. And they besought other spirits more wicked 
Him much, that He would not send them away out of the th ? n himself and they 

7 J enter m and dwell there. 

country, and yet more earnestly, that He would not com- Matt. xh. 4o. 
mand them to go out into the deep, — the bottomless pit or 
abyss where the souls of the wicked are confinedS Now f And he opened the 
there was, a good way off from them,— but within view, arole^moke outV^the 
and nigh unto the mountains which lined the shore, — a P k > " tlle sm ° ke of rt a 

° , .» ' great iurnace. Kev. ix. 2. 

great herd of many swine, feeding on the mountain. And 

all the devils, — still intent on mischief, and hoping to make 

Jesus appear the cause of it, — besought Him, (3) saying, If 

Thou art resolved to cast us out, suffer us to go away 

[send us, Mark] into the herd of swine, (4) — that we may 

enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave,? % And the Lord said 

—the loss of their property being a not unfit punishment ZXlTl* Xt^r. 

for the oivners of these forbidden and unclean animals, — Job l - \ 2 - 

, , ^ • 7 • • ait Angels and authorities 

and said unto them, Go, since you desire it. And the and powers being made 

unclean spirits went out of the man, and entered g^ct unt» mm. 1Pet - 

into the herd of swine; and behold, the whole herd, 

immediately becoming mad, ran violently down a steep 

place into the sea, and were choked (suffocated and 

disowned) in the sea, and perished in the waters. And 

they were in number about two thousand. 

And they that fed the swine, when they saw what was 
done, fled from the place in every direction, and told every- 
thing to those in the city, and in the country or villages 
adjoining, and particularly what was befallen to the man 
possessed of the devils. And they went out in crowds to 
see what it was that was done, and to examine into the 



answer for the purposes of the miracle. The 
word " Legion" (from the name of a body of 
Roman troops) was often used by the Jews to 
denote a great number, which is the sense it 
bears here. — This moral application may be made 
of the circumstance of so many demons com- 
bining together : if sin is in every man what 
the devil is in a demoniac, then the same man 
may be under the dominion of a legion of vices 
and evil passions at once. " Few men (it has 
been said) have one devil only ; most men have 
many devils." 

( 3 ) The devils besought Him.] This miracle 
throughout confutes those who pretend that 
demoniacs were only personal diseases. We find 
here a number of them, in one man, addressing 
our Lord : they knew Him to be the Christ ; they 
even refer to the final sentence which He will 
pronounce on evil spirits at the end of the world : 
all which could not be dictated by lunacy. 
Christ also addresses them, and we cannot con- 
ceive that He would speak to a disease. Evil 
spirits were supposed by the ancients to be the 
departed souls of wicked men which seized upon 
the living. That they actually existed among 
the heathen is proved from the testimonies of 
Plutarch and Lucian, while Josephus and others 
show that they were known among the Jews before 
our Saviour's time (see Section XXXI., Note 1). 



( 4 ) Suffer us to go away into the herd of 
swine.~\ Our Lord only permitted this. This 
miracle may seem an exception to the many others 
of a directly beneficent nature wrought by Him, 
but there were important, and even merciful 
reasons, why it should be done. It would strike 
terror into those who could not be moved in any 
other manner, and tested whether their love 
to their swine was greater than that for their 
souls ; it convinced those who were heathens of 
the sacredness of the Jewish laws, which prohi- 
bited the eating of swine's flesh (Lev. xi. 7, 8), 
while it punished those Jews who, for the sake of 
gain, dealt in that commodity ; it manifested our 
Lord's dominion over the spiritual world ; it 
completely evinced the reality of demoniacal pos- 
sessions, for it was evident the swine could 
not be confederates in fraud ; and it showed the 
power and virulency of these demons, if not re- 
strained. We are to reflect further, that God 
has an original right to that and every other pro- 
perty ; " the cattle upon a thousand hills are His" 
(Ps. 1. 10) ; and had He destroyed them by pes- 
tilence or lightning, neither the owners, nor any 
one else, would have had room to complain. 
Thus, too, was the greatest good of mankind pro- 
moted, not in that period and corner of the 
world only, but in every succeeding age through* 
out all countries. 



134 



THE GADARENE DEMONIACS HEALED. 



truth of what they had heard. And they come to Jesus, and 
see the man that was possessed with the devil and had the 
Legion, — out of whom the devils were now departed,^ 
calmly sitting at the feet of Jesus; and now, through the 
charity of some of the disciples who had parted with their 
upper garments, clothed, and in his right mind. And they 
were afraid. And also they that saw it told them by what 
means he that was possessed of the devils was healed, and 
also concerning the swine, how they had been destroyed by 
the devils. 

And behold, when these things became generally known, 
the inhabitants of the whole city, and with them the whole 
multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about, 
came out to meet Jesus, as He was proceeding onwards 
to preach the Gospel among them. And when they saw 
Him, they began submissively to pray Him that He would 
»» The wicked say unto depart from them out of their coasts; h for they were taken 

God, Depart from us, for ..i , n z . 7 . , . 

we desire not the know- with great rear — being not only overcome with awe at what 
Sd 8e i4° f Thy ways ' J ° b occurred, but grieved at their loss, and apprehensive of 
some further judgment for their sins from the Hand of a 
Being so powerful. 

And accordingly, quitting this ungrateful people, He 
returned back again, and went up into the ship. 

And when He was come into the ship, he that had 
been possessed with the devils, — and out of whom the 
devils were now quite departed, — having followed Him, 
prayed Him earnestly that he might be with and accom- 
What shall I render pany Him; 1 for gratitude to his deliverer urged him to re- 
quest this, and he dreaded a relapse into the power of the 
demons. Howbeit, Jesus, who could with equal effect 
protect him when absent, suffered him not ; (5) but sent 
him away, saying, Return to thine own house ; go home to 
thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord God 
hath done for thee, and how He hath had compassion on 
thee. And so he departed; and throughout the whole 
city, and in all that region of Decapolis, began to publish, 
k come and hear ail as ^ e had been directed, how great things JESUS, i( the 
ye that fear God^and i Lord God," had done forhim. k(6 ) And all men who heard 
it did marvel. 

And He (Jesus) entered again into a (the) ship, and 
great things for us, where- p asse d over the lake. And it came to pass, when Jesus was 

ot we are glad. Ps. x . . * 

cxxvi. 3. passed over again unto the other side, that much people were 



unto the Lord for all His 
lienefits towards me? O 
Lord, truly I am Thy ser- 
vant. Ps. cxvi. 12, 16. 



will declare what He hath 
done for my soul. Ps. 
Ixvi. 16. 

The Lord hath done 



( 5 ) Suffered him not.] This is the second re- 
quest made of our Lord in the same narrative, and 
may be profitably considered in connection with 
the previous request made by the demons: the 
prayer of the believer is denied in wisdom, while 
that of the ungodly was granted in judgment. Our 
Lord wished this man to remain in his own coun- 
try as a monument of Divine power and good- 
pess * he became a preacher of the Gospel, and 



was probably the means of procuring to his be- 
nefactor, on His next visit to that eountry, a more 
favourable reception (see Mark vii. 31 — 37). 

( 6 ) How great things Jesus had done for him.] 
This is a remarkable passage, for the man was 
expressly told to publish " how great things the 
Lord God had done" for him. It shows that 
Lord does not stand here, as in some instances, 
for a term of respect, but for Jehovah. 



JESUS JUSTIFIES HIS CONVERSING WITH SINNERS. 



135 



gathered unto Him ; and the people gladly received Him, 

for they were all waiting for Him : and He was nigh unto ^ And i eaving Naza . 

the sea. where He continued awhile preaching to them. And retb He came and dwel > 

TT „ 7 . xt- • 1 in Capernaum. Matt. iv. 

He came afterwards into Capernaum, His own city. 1 13. 



SECTION LV. 

Jesus, being entertained by Matthew, justifies His eating with 
publicans and sinners j and vindicates hls disciples for not 
fasting during hls continuance with them. 

Matt. ix. 10—17. Mark il 15 — 22. Luke v. 29 — 39. 



A 



ND Levi (1) or Matthew, being desirous to shew respect 0 The Son of man came 
to his divine Master, made Him a great feast in his the^say^B^i^a'mau 
own house. And it came pass, that as Jesus sat there at fSbbeTT friend of W pub- 
meat, behold a great company of publicans (former asso- ]i ; an s and sinners. Matt. 
dates of Matthew) and sinners came, and sat also toge- b How should man be 
ther with Jesus and His disciples, and others ; for there just with God? Jobix. 2. 

n I, •, TT- . , ,j God looked down from 

were many of them, and they followed Him into the heaven upon the children 
house °^ men to see ^ th ere were 

any that did understand 

But when their Scribes and Pharisees of that place and seek after God : every 
[the Scribes and Pharisees, Mark] saw Him eat openly they are altogether be- 
with publicans and sinners, they murmured against His g^no^ot 
disciples, saying, Why do ye, — who pretend to teach and one - Ps - liu - 3 > 3- 

± r n 7 ii-i -i t There is not a just man 

set an example to other men, — eat and drink with pub- upon earth that doeth 
licans and sinners? and how is it that your Master TcL^i 
Himself, whom you esteem to be so holy a prophet, is care- „ In manv thm s s we 

i 77 7 m 7 1 11-117 -i offenda11 - James hi. 2. 

less of all defilement, and eatetn and drmketh also with if we say that we have no 

1 t i •> n sin we deceiye ourselves. 

publicans and sinners ? a and the truth is not in us. 

When Jesus heard it, He answering said unto them ; 1 John *■ 8 - 
Such as these more especially need My aid, for they that e The Son of man is 
are whole (in perfect health) need not a physician, but they ^^T^wE 
that are sick. I am the physician of the soul, and came. xi *- l ?- . 

-i / _ . ' 7 , This is a faithful say- 

purposely, not to call the righteous,— ^/or be/ore God there are ing, and worthy of ail 
rao^e righteous, 10 — but sinners, as <zZ/ are, to repentance. 0 jS^ame mtofte woS 
But go ye, ?#Ao 50 arrogantly imagine yourselves to be J 0 jJ ave sinners - 1 Tim - 
fe^er o^Aer mew, and learn what that portion of Scrip- The Lord is not willing 
ture meaneth, and how it agrees with what I have done; I D uf th^ 7 aii h s£uid P come 

WILL, HAVE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE* 1 Only (see Hosea j£ repentance. 2 Pet. 

vi. 6) : Good Will towards all men is required, and not 

merely a strict observance of the Ritual Law, — which however better th^ s^rificef and 

much it discountenances unnecessary communication with JJ^J^fg^nx^a? * ° f 

the profane, can never preclude acts of mercy to any. To do justice and judg- 



0) Levi.] See Section XXXV., Note 1. 

( 2 ) / came not to call the righteous, but 
sinners to repentance.] These are remarkable 
words, and they are recorded in this place with- 
out the variation of a word by three Evangelists. 



A Redeemer was manifestly needed, and God 
manifested Himself in the flesh, not to save a 
righteous, but a sinful world. The encourage- 
ment of sinners to repent and be saved is the 
distinguishing character of the Gospel. 



136 



THE DISCIPLES VINDICATED FOR DELAYING TO FAST. 



ment is more acceptable And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to 
Prov?x£. s. an SaCr LG ' fast (3) (were then fasting, Gr.). And the disciples of 
He hath shewed thee, T onn come anc [ sa y un to Him. Why do we, and likewise 

O man, what is good, and _ J . 3 

what doth the Lord re- the disciples of the Pharisees, fast often e {^regularly twice 

quire of thee, but to do . 7 7X , , - , m , . , 

justly and to love mercy, in the week), and make many prayers/ but lny disciples 

% GodP^MiT^L 8 With fast not > but eat and drink at their P^sure ? And Jesus, 
But if ye had known — adopting the remarkable image by which their master had 

what this meaneth, I will 7 1 TT . ., , „ 

have mercy and not sacri- described Htm, — said unto tnem : Can ye make the cnil- 
SSiSJai £m£ dren of the bedchamber {the guests of a marriage feast) 
Matt. xti. 7. mourn and fast while the Bridegrooms is yet with them ? 

e i fast twice in the Is this usual or fitting during the days ivhich are given to 
week. LukexMn. . festivity 7 As long as they have the Bridegroom with 
andPharise^ them, they cannot decently fast, or be reasonably expected 

for ye devour widows' f 0 d 0 so. There is a season for joy as well as for sorrow : 

houses, and for a pretence , 77 ,, , 7 , , 

make long prayer. Matt, you noiv mourn the loss of your master who has been torn 
xxm ' 14 ' from you, arid you fast, as the natural expression of un- 

Brme3room fr wh?ch°stami e - f e W ne d 9 rie f* My disciples rejoice because lam present with 
eth and heareth Him, re- them; but the days will shortly come, when the Bride- 
Se^ri^^JT^ce; groom shall be taken from them by a cruel death, and 
fuifiiS j 7ohniii! f 29. ^ then shall they have occasion to fast in those days : h their 
K , mi . . . day of trouble will have come, and Abstinence will be an 

b They ministered to a J * 

the Lord and fasted. Acts exercise both useful and seasonable for them. — And He 
XU1 Give yourselves to fast- spake also a parable unto them in illustration of what He 
ing and prayer. 1 Cor. /md j mf ga fa Common sense teaches a fitness and pro- 
— in fastings often. 2 priety in all things : thus, no man, who is mending clothes, 
putteth a piece of new (undressed and unfilled) cloth on 
» Thou shait not wear an old garment ;i if otherwise (else), then both the new, 
L 8 orwooiien di Ind linen oein 9 less Voiding, and tearing away the edges to which it 
together. Deut. xxii. 11. i s sewed, maketh a rent ; and the piece that was taken out 
of the new sort, and put in to fill up, agreeth not with the 
old, but taketh away from the old more than it adds to it ; 
and so in the end the rent is made worse than before. 
Even so the minds of My new converts, like cloth rough 
from the weaver's hands, are as yet undisciplined; and 
trials should be accommodated according to the ability which 
there is to bear them. 

And again : no experienced man putteth new wine into 
old bottles (flasks of skin) ; else the new wine will fer- 
h wine bottles, old and ment and burst the bottles, k which, being thin and worn 

rent, and bound up. Josh. , . 1 1 o o ±i t ± i 

ix- 4> 1 out, are incapable of any further distension ; and so the 

wine will be spilled, and the bottles perish [be marred, 
Mark]. But new wine must be put into new bottles, 
and then both are preserved. Even so, My disciples, taken 
from their fishing trades, not from the academies and 
schools of the Pharisees, are unprepared for such rigid 



( 3 ) Used to fast.] A public fast-day is not j served by the Pharisees and others. — On the 
here spoken of, but one of those privately ob- | duty of Fasting see Section XLL, Note 34, 



THE DISCIPLES VINDICATED FOR DELAYING TO FAST. 



137 



discipline, and they might only be discouraged by premature 
austerities. No man also having drank old wine, — which, 
being mellowed with age, is both more agreeable and more 
ztf/wfesome,— straightway desireth new, which is commonly 
harsh and unpalatable : for he naturally saith, The old is 
better : So it is not easy to alter those ivays of living to 
which men have been accustomed ; nor can My disciples be 
suddenly initiated into acts of discipline, to which their prac- 
tice has hitherto been opposed. 



SECTION LVL 

Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus from the dead; and, on 
His way to the ruler's house, a woman with an issue of 
blood is healed by touching hls garment. 

Matt. ix. 18—26. Mark v. 22—43. Luke viii. 41 — 56. 

WHILE He spake these things unto them in Matthew's 
house, behold there came a certain ruler (or rector) 
of the synagogue at Capernaum, Jairus by name ; and a These things said He 

-i r tt • / 7 • jt \ i as He taught iu the syna- 

when he saw Him [as soon as he ivas in His presence), he g0 gue at Capernaum. 

fell down reverentially at His feet, and worshipped Him Jobn 59 - 

before them all, and besought Him that He would come 

immediately into his house : for he had one only daughter, 

about twelve years of age, and she lay a- dying. And he 

besought Him greatly (with importunity) , saying, My little 

daughter lieth at the point of death (in the last stage of i> And Israel said unto 

disease), and is even now perhaps dead ; b I pray Thee, come G 0 e S n P xivih!2 0 i. d 1 ^ 

and lay Thine hands c on her that she may be healed, and „ . , „ 

J j c And JNaaman said, 

/ am persuaded that she shall live. d Behold, i thought, he will 

A , T 7 . ., 7 . , , surely come out to me, 

And J esus, — ever ready to succour the distressed, — arose and stand and call upon 

from table and followed him; and so did His disciples. eXZl^Zt It 

But as He went towards the ruler's house, it happened that hand ] the and 

much people followed Him to see the event, and thronged v. ii. 

about Him. And behold a certain woman, which was han^S ^s^a 

diseased with an incurable issue of blood (an hemorrhage) d Then said Martha 

twelve years, and had suffered many things (had long been 111110 Jesus > Lord > Tnou 

. J . hadst been here, my bro- 

a patient under and endured a variety of painful remedies) ther had not died : but i 

of many physicians, and had spent all her living that X'xh^T^ 

she had (the whole of her substance) upon them, — neither j 0 ° 1 d i ; ( 2 cl 2 1 ill 2 f veitThee " 
could be healed of any, and was nothing bettered (not at 

all benefited) by their advice, but rather grew worse/ — e Ye are all physicians 

when she had heard (having heard of the fame) of Jesus, of no value. Jobxiii. 4. 

2 ., 7\77,-7-ii«i Give us help from trou- 

she came m the press (in the crowd) clandestinely behind bie, for vain is the help of 
Him, for she was legally impure, and touched the hem man * Ps " cvm ' 12- 



138 



A WOMAN HEALED OF AN INVETERATE DISORDER. 



f Speak unto the chii- (or tassel) of His garment : f (1) for she had heard that others 
mike tLm^L^soiJtne had been healed in the like manner, and said within herself, 
borders of their° garments j f j t ch but His clothes, I shall be whole. And 

throughout their genera- . . 

tions, and that they put straightway, upon her touching the tassel of His garment, 
borders a ribband of blue : the fountain of her blood which issued from her was 
JofaVrngM^may staunched, and dried up; and she felt in her body,— she 
remember all the com- was fully convinced from the sensations she experienced* — 

mandments of the Lord / , * / f > 

and do them. Numb. xv. that she was healed { } oi that plague {disorder). 

38 ' 39 ' And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtues 

tude^u-huo V touchHim hacl S one out of Him (3) ( that His baling power had been 
for there went virtue out exerted), turned Himse/f about in the press; and, — that 
ail. Lukevi. 19. the woman's faith might be made manifest before the people 

assembled, — said, Who touched My clothes? When all 
who stood near denied it, Peter, and His other disciples 
that were with Him, said unto Him, Master, Thou seest 
that the multitude throng and press Thee, and sayest 
Thou, Who touched Me? And Jesus said, Somebody 
hath touched Me, not accidentally but by design; for I 
perceive that virtue is gone out of Me. And He turned 
again, and looked round about to see her that had done 
this thing; and immediately saw {fixed his eye on) her. 
And when the woman saw that she was not hid from Him, 
she, knowing what a marvellous work was done in her, 
i> To this man will l came fearing and trembling 11 lest she should be rebuked for 
poor and of a contrite spi- her boldness ; and falling down before Him, she told Him 
worr%Ta ra ixvi h 2. at Mj a11 the truth °f the matter, and declared unto Him, before 
all the people, for what cause she had touched Him, and 
how she was healed immediately. But Jesus, at once 
quieting her fears, said unto her, Daughter, be of good 
comfort; thy faith, as the instrument of thy cure, hath 
made thee whole : (4) go home in peace, and be {henceforth 
continue) whole of thy plague. And the woman was made 
perfectly whole from that hour. 

While He yet spake, there came from the ruler of the 
synagogue^ house certain of the 7ieighbours which said to 
him, Thy daughter is dead, and now beyond the reach of 



(') Touched the hem {or tassel) of his garment.'} 
The Jewish garment had four corners, from 
each of which was suspended (according to the 
direction of the Law, Deut. xxii. 12) a tassel of 
threads. There was supposed to be an especial 
sacredness in these, which may have led the 
woman to touch this part of our Lord's garment, 
but also it was esteemed a mark of profound 
respect to touch the two lower ones. The 
Scribes and Pharisees wore theirs remarkably 
large, as badges of extraordinary piety (see 
Matt, xxiii. 5). 

( 2 ) She felt in her body that she was healed.'] 
This forcibly shows the stupendous nature of 
the miracle ; for no one can naturally all at 
once recover from an inveterate malady, and 
vestiges of the disorder, upon its gradual retreat, 



will long remain.- — Eusebius, the Ecclesiastical 
historian, informs us (Hist. vii. 18), that this 
woman was a person of rank of Paneas, and that 
he had himself seen a statue which she had 
erected there to the Saviour. The apostate Em- 
peror Julian afterwards (as appears from other 
authors) substituted his own statue in the place 
of this, and then the Christians of Paneas placed 
it in their own church. Sozomen, who wrote in 
the sixth Century, states (v. 21) that it . remained 
there to his day. 

( 3 ) That virtue had gone out of Him. ] See 
Section XXXIX., Note 3. 

( 4 ) Thy faith hath made thee whole.] Her 
Faith in coming to the Saviour had led to her 
recovery, but it was His Divine Power which 
actually healed her. 



THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS RAISED TO LIFE. 



139 



prayer or human aid; why troublest thou the Master any 

further? [Trouble not the Master to come further, Luke]. 

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He 

saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid as 

though there ivas no hope : only believe, 1 and she shall be i Martha, the sister of 

made whole [again restored): confide in My power to save, ^J^ZrA^ 

and it Shall be employed in thy faVOUr. been dead four days. Jesus 

tt • -i tt rr saiti unt0 uer > S ^ id 1 not 

And when He came into the ruler s house, He sunered unto thee that if thou 
no man to follow Him into the chamber where the damsel ^ouidest seethe gior^°©f 

lay, save His three favoured disciples, Peter, and James, God? John xi - 39 > 40 - 
and John the brother of James. And all the relations and 
friends assembled wept and bewailed her, for she ivas an only 
child; and He seeth the tumult, and the people, ivhom it was 

customary to hire on such occasions, that wept and wailed k Call for the mourning 

greatly , k and the minstrels [flute-pbayers) making a mournful ZalT jSx.lfrf ™ ay 

noise. (5) And He saith unto them, as they were preparinq Neit } eI sha11 ™ en tear 

^ u jr r u themselves for them in 

for her burial, Give place [Withdraw), that I may see her ; mourning to comfort them 

, , 77 A , . , , for the dead. Jer. xvi. 7. 

weep not any more ; why make ye alt this ado, and weep' — They shall call such as 

ivherefore these needless preparations? The damsel is ^4^°^^^ 

not so dead, but that she shall awake again, and only as it And ail the singing men 

. iiaiiiiitt' and tne sul oi n ? women 

were sleepeth. 1 And they laughed Him to scorn m [con- spake of Josiah in their 

temptuously derided Him), knowing, by the symptoms which l ^^^ a& ' 2 Chron * 

were upon her, that she was certainly dead. But when He , n ... ' , , 

. ° 1 Our friend Lazarus 

had put [removed) them all out of the way, He taketh the sleepeth, but i go that I 

father and the mother of the damsel, and them [those three sleep. *j 0 hn xLi!™ ° 

disciples) that were with Him, and, ivith these only as the thit^eTdi asleep a'S 

necessary witnesses, entereth in to the chamber where the ^jjjj* t 

damsel was lying. And approaching the couch, He took unto th^ci^-^but^ome 

her by the hand, — an action emblematical of recovery, — ™ ^ ea asleep ' 1 Cor ' 
and called, saying unto her in the Syriac tongue, as it 

ivas then spoken, Talitha cumi (which is, being inter- , m , T „ h r e F see Me 

- t T 1 A • \ A 1 • 1 IaU S h Me t0 SCOrT1 - Ps 

preted, Damsel, 1 say unto thee, Arise). {6) And straight- xxii. 7. 

way, as the words were uttered, her spirit came again ; n no Lord my God, i 

and she arose from the couch on which she lay, as one Sc^ntoSiag^! 

awaking from a refreshing sleep, and walked — for she was 1 Kin s s xvii - 21 - 
of the age of twelve years. And He commanded that 
something should be given her to eat, — thus at once con- 
vincing them that she was really alive and well. And her 
parents, and they who accompanied Him, were astonished 
with a great astonishment ; but He charged them straitly 
[strictly) that for a time they should tell no man what was 



( 5 ) The minstrels making a noise.] See Sec- 
tion XLIV., Note 8. 

( 6 ) Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise.] It ap- 
pears from the Talmud, that the Hebrew phy- 
sicians were accustomed to salute the sick 
by saying, " Arise from your disease," and it 
was naturally considered they were recovering 
when they took their usual food. Thus, in this 
miracle, our Lord assumed the character of the 
Great Physician. The words u her spirit came 



again" are added by St. Luke to the account of 
the other Evangelists, because he was writing for 
Gentile converts, and therefore was more solicit- 
ous to instil just notions concerning the soul. He 
shows that the human spirit is somewhat sub- 
sisting by itself ; that it does not die with the 
body, nor remain in the same place with it when 
death takes place. The text Matt. x. 28, is 
quite conclusive on this doctrine. 



140 



THE DUMB DEMONIAC HEALED. 



done (7) — lest it should lead to excitement and create a 
suspicion of His seeking popularity. And notwithstanding 
this caution, the fame hereof went abroad into all that 
land. 



SECTION LVII. 

Jesus restores sight to two blind men, and speech to a dumb 

demoniac. 



A 1 



Matt. ix. 27—34. 

ND when Jesus departed thence (from the ruler's 
house), two blind men followed Him, crying and 
« of the increase of His earnestly saying, Thou Son of David, a have mercy on us 
fhere m Si be" no P end! and restore our sight : for they believed that Jesus was He 
isa° n ix h 7 thr ° ne ° f DaVld ° w ? lom prophet Isaiah had predicted as coming to open 
^ Jesus Christ the son of the eyes of the blind (see Isa. xxxv. 5 ; xlii. 6, 7). But He, 
The Lord God shall not wishing to grant their request in the public street, 
of^HSfeth^Da^lSe a PP eare d a* though He had not noticed them in passing : 
i- 32 - and when He was come into the house where He lodged, 

I am the root and the -, 

offspring of David. Rev. the blind men came to Him ; and J esus saith unto them, 
Believe ye that I am able to do this ? They said unto 
Him without hesitation, Yea, Lord — which was a remark- 
able proof of their faith, for their infirmity had precluded 
their witnessing any of His miracles. Then touched He 
their eyes, saying, According to the sincerity of your faith, 
so be it unto you. And their faith being genuine, imme- 
diately their eyes were opened and they saiv plain. And, 
as on the performance of His last miracle, Jesus straitly 
charged them, saying, See that no man know it. But 
they, when they were departed, were so transported with 
joy that they spread abroad His fame in all that country. 
After this, as they went out of the house, behold they 
b The tongue of the brought to Him a dumb man, who had lost his powers of 

dumb shall sing. Isa. n •* i i m * i i 

xxxv. 6. speech from being possessed with a devil. And when, at the 

« They were all amazed command of Jesus, the devil was cast out, the dumb spake 
and glorified God, saying, W«^b And the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never 

We never saw it on tins x 7 J 

fashion. Mark ii. 12. before so seen — not even in Israel, 0 (1) although among 



( 7 ) That they should tell no man what was 
done.] There might be another reason, than the 
obvious one of avoiding publicity, why, on this 
occasion our Lord might desire secresy. He 
would not excite the expectation of raising the 
dead generally, nor alter the course of nature on 
every request made to Him. Enough was done 
to prove His authority over death ; but His power 
was to be shown habitually rather in healing the 
infirmities of the living. 

( 1 ) It was never so seen in Israel. ] It was the 
distinguishing character of our Lord's miracles 



that they were miracles of mercy, while those of 
the Old Covenant had been chiefly miracles of 
vengeance. In number the former exceeded all 
those wrought through the old prophets, and they 
are distinguished from them in having been fore- 
told. Variety is another characteristic of the 
Gospel miracles : for not merely one disease, but 
all yield to the Saviour's power ; and not only 
diseases, but natural defects — even the elements 
and inanimate objects obeyed Him ; and, as on 
the present occasion, where the popular astonish •« 
ment is so excited, evil spirits of the most malig- 
nant kiud submit to His command. 



JESUS IS AGAIN REJECTED AT NAZARETH. 



141 



them God wrought many extraordinary works. But the 
Pharisees, not being able to deny the fact of the cure, 
accused Him again as a magician, and said; He casteth 
out the devils it is true, but then it is through confederacy 
with the prince of the devils. 



SECTION LVIII. 

Jesus revisits Nazareth, but being again rejected by His 
countrymen, makes a circuit to teach in the neighbouring 

COUNTRY. 

Matt. xiii. 54—58; ix. 35—38. Mark vi. 1— G. 

AND He went out from thence (from Capernaum), and 
came again into His own country, 9, to Nazareth. And • And He came to Na- 

TT . ,. . i n n tt* # 7 zareth where He had been 

His disciples follow Him there. brought up. Lukeiv.ie. 

And when the Sabbath-day was come, He began, as on 
a former occasion, to teach in the synagogue. And many, 
hearing Him, were astonished at what they deemed his 
presumption, saying contemptuously, From whence hath 
this man this wisdom, and these mighty works of which 
we hear so much ? And what kind of wisdom is this which 
is given unto him, that not only does he venture to point 
out the way of salvation, but that even such mighty works 
are wrought by his hands ? Is not this the carpenter ? (1) 
even the carpenter's (Joseph's) son ? Is not his mother 
called Mary ? And are not his brethren (2) (his kinsmen) 
called James, b and Joses, and Simon, and Judas ? And 
his sisters, are they not all here with us? they are like b James, the Lords bro- 
their neighbours, and shew no remarkable signs of ability of tlier ' Gal " L 19 " 
any kind. Whence then hath this man all these things? c He is despised and re- 
And they were offended in Him c — stumbling at His mean Jected of men ' Isa ' hn ' 3 * 
origin and humble circumstances. But Jesus said unto thi d the ^ aS fo r i^c^oTdo 
them, as He had said at a former visit, It is a true anything till thou be come 

, t> i • • t -i • thither. Gen. xix. 22. 

proverb, that a Prophet is not without honour save m Then said the Lord unto 
his own country, and is no where less esteemed than among s^ul? stood before Me^ 
his own kin, and in his own house. And He could do vet M ^ mind could not 

be towards this people 

there no mighty work d (3) (no miracle), save that He laid Jer. xv. ]. 



0) Is not this the carpenter Justin Martyr 
says that our Lord was " reckoned as a car- 
penter" (Dial, cum Tryph., p. 316), and that 
" being among men, He made rakes and yokes 
which were the works of carpenters" (Contr. 
Celsum, lib. vi. p. 299). By the Jewish canons, 
all fathers, even those of wealth and learning, 
were bound to teach their children some trade or 
manual occupation. Thus St. Paul, though free- 
born, and brought up under a learned doctor, 
was a tent-maker (Acts xviii. 3). 

( 2 ) His brethren.] This word had a wider 
sense among the Jews than with us. It is dis- 
puted what was the exact relationship which 
James and the rest bore to our Lord; but the 



best authorities are agreed that they were the 
sons of Joseph by a former wife. 

( 3 ) He could do there no mighty work, SfC.] 
Thus He, whose unrestricted will called the 
whole universe into existence, finds an impedi- 
ment to the working of Omnipotence in the 
wretched prejudices of corrupt human beings. 
And here we have a remarkable instance of God's 
moral government over His creatures ; for the 
passage leads us to this undoubted truth, that 
the Divine Decrees are in some measure directed 
and modified by man's conduct. Although God's 
infinite benevolence would have all men to be 
saved, the abuse on our part of that freedom of 
action which He has entrusted to us, appears, iu 



142 



JESUS MAKES A CIRCUIT IN GALILEE. 



e Hi s soui was grieved His hands upon a few sick folk and healed them, but did 
Judg. e x. m i6? ry ° Siae ' not many mighty works because of their unbelief: that 

i i saw all Israel scat- condition was wanting, which alone could make it fit that 
sheep That have not ^ miracles should be wrought there ; their obstinate incredulity 
shepherd. i Kmgs xxn. p reV ented their asking such favours, while He did not judge 

And they were scatter- a expedient to obtrude them. And He marvelled because 

ed, because there is no i v r 

shepherd. Ezek. xxxiv. 01 their Unbeliet. 

5 Go rather to the lost And, leaving them, J esus went round about all the 

sheep of the house of is- cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and 

rael Matt x 6. J o o ? 

* Lift up your eyes and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every 
look on the fields, for they sickness and every disease among the people. But when 

are white already to har- % • t 7 77 7 7 7 T t. 

vest. John iv. 35. He saw the multitudes that had gathered around Him, He 
& Thou, o God, hast of was moved with compassion on them, e because they fainted 

Thy goodness prepared for , •ii/^v-N J 

the poor. The Lord gave (were worn out ana harassed with fatigue ), and were scat- 

Smplny^r^ole^that tered abroad and neglected as sheep having no shepherd. f 

published it. Ps. lxviii. Then saith He unto His disciples, The harvest truly is 

They being sent forth plenteous/ but the labourers to gather it in are few (Many 

by the Holy Ghost de- 7 ., ? . , ,. , , „ , 77 . 7 7 , 

parted unto Seieucia. souls wait for instruction, but few are willing or able to give 

A F^aiiy brethren pray the™) : V m J Y e therefore the Lord of the harvest, that 

for us tiiat the Word of He will direct men's hearts to undertake this ivork of mercy 

course° T 2 Thes. S/i. 66 and send forth fitting labourers into His harvest. 11 



SECTION LIX. 

The Twelve Apostles are commissioned to preach the Gospel 
in Judea : they receive instructions and depart. 

Matt. x. 1, 5—42; xi. 1. Mark vi. 7—13. Luke ix. 1—6 ; xii. 2—9. 11. 

12, 49— -53. 



A 1 



ND when He had called together unto Him His twelve 
disciples, — those whom He had before ordained as 
Apostles, — He gave them power and authority (I) over all 
devils (unclean spirits) to cast them out in His name; and 
to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease : 
* Two are better than for as they were poor and illiterate men, this gift of ivork- 
gooi rewa\Tfoi^£ \t ^ n 9 niiracles was indispensable as an evidence of their 

hour : for if they fall the mission. 
one will lift up his fellow. " 

Eccies. iv. 9, io. These twelve Jesus sent forth by two and two, a(2;) that 



a variety of ways, to limit the operation of His 
mercy. — It is added in the narrative, that our 
Lord marvelled at the unbelief of His country- 
men, as He had marvelled before (Matt. viii. 10) 
at the faith of the Centurion ; so that it is in the 
power of man to believe, or to disbelieve : if faith 
were produced by an omnipotent act of God, our 
Lord would not have had in either case any 
ground for expressing His astonishment. 

(') He gave them power and authority, <|r.] 
Our Lord's authorizing His disciples to work 
miracles is justly brought forward as an evidence 



of His Divinity, and of the truth of Christianity, 
God, indeed, put His Spirit upon those whom 
Moses appointed (Deut. xxxiv. 9), but Moses 
conferred not that Spirit as Jesus directly did ; 
and though the spirit of Elijah rested upon Elisha 
(2 Kings ii. 9, 10), it was in answer to the 
prayers of the latter, and Elijah bestowed no 
power. — Christ alone wrought miracles at will, 
and authorized others to perform them. 

( 2 ) By two and two.} In this manner the 
Seventy were afterwards sent forth. So also Moses 
and Aaron ; the two disciples by the Baptist to visit 
Christ ; and Paul and Barnabas by the Church. 



THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE COMMISSIONED AND SENT FORTH. 143 



so they might render mutual assistance, and be witnesses b My people have been 

one to another. And He commanded them to preach the herds have caused them 

Kingdom of God (to proclaim the Messiah's approaching J , 8 Sw^ Is 

reign) : and, in the exercise of the powers He had delegated 6 > }J- 

d -7 .7 r-\ Unto y° u first God 

to them, to heal the sick : saymg also unto them, Go not at having raised up His Son 

present into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of y 0U " s ' Jets 1 ^™ 6 to bless 

the Samaritans enter ye not when ye pass through that ^J^JJ o^GoTIho^d 

country. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house first have been spoken to 

of Israel , b — those children of the Kingdom who received the y °^l wiware^Traehtes ; to 

promises, and to whom, as this Salvation was first sent, so it Jra^d'ao^iSy^d 

is first to be preached. And as ye go, preach, saying, The the . covenants, and the 

kingdom of heaven is at hand (is now to be set up) ; in con- Snrtfe°or- GodT'and the 

firmation of which announcement, heal the sick and cast faXr^and^o^whom^s 

out devils in the course of this your first mission; hereafter concerning the flesh, 

7 77 7 i ,i i 7 • ,i i i t* i Christ came, who is over 

ye shall also cleanse the lepers ana raise the dead. h reely ail, God blessed for ever, 
ye have received this power from Me; freely and gratui- A TTnd wh^n simont'aw 
tously give the benefit of it to others ; for the gift of God that through laying on of 

77.,, „ the Apostles' hands the 

must not be purchased with money. c Holy Ghost was given, he 

And He commanded them that they should take no- ^^^^ t ^ 
thing superfluous for their iournev, — save a staff only, if mone J P erish with 'thee, 

, 7j , . ; 7 • , 7 a itt • i because thou hast thought 

there happened to be one in their hands. And He said unto that the gift of God may 
them, Go even as you are ; provide no bread, no money to A c r*m*mjt mmeJ ' 
buy it with — neither gold, nor silver, nor even brass in d And He said unto 

ri\ P . . .,i . them, When I sent you 

your purses > nor scrip for provisions ; neither two coats without purse, and scrip, 
apiece; neither shoes/ but be shod as you are with san- ^ g s *} oe ^f^ 6 ™i 
dais; nor yet staves, — 'keeping only the one you walk Nothing. Lukexxii. 35. 
with: for the workman is worthy of his meat, e and you you "htoai^Tg^s it 
may reasonably look for maintenance amonq those for whose a s reat thin s if we , ? haU 

. . 7 ,/. rea P y° ur carnal things. 

Spiritual Welfare yOU labour. Do ye not know that they 

And He said also unto them, Into whatsoever city or Ero^rf ShTaJS 
town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy f and ot J^ tem P le ; and ?ey 

j j. ' which wait at the aitar, 

piously disposed: they will entertain you gladly and assist are partakers with the 

• 7 Aii- i ... altar? Even so hath the 

you in your work. And whatsoever house ye so enter into, Lord ordained that they 
there abide till ye depart from that place: "go not t^T^ttSo^l 
from house to house," for I would not have you wander 1 Car. ix. 11, 13, 14. 

7, , . , 7 - _ , - _ , The labourer is worthy 

about as vagrants, seeming to be fond of change, or over- 0 f his reward. 1 Tim. v. 
solicitous as to your comforts. — And when ye come into an 18 : A J . 
house (into any family), salute it in the accustomed friendly baptized and her house- 
master, saying, Peace be upon this house : s and if the ^gf if^e^ve judgeVme 
house (the family) be worthy, let the benefit of your peace ^^^^ 
come upon it; for there your blessing shall effectually rest, abide there. Andshecon- 

7 • , 7 7 77 7. strained us. Acts xvi. 15. 

ana its members shall prosper according to your prayers ; g Peace on earth and 



men. 



but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you, h as gj* ^m^towar< 

h So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My Mouth; it shall not return unto Me void. Isa. lv. II. — 
My prayer returned into mine own bosom. Ps. xxxv. 13. 



( 3 ) Nor brass in your purses, <%c.,£[c.] The 
hollow of the girdle was often used as a purse. 
The scrip was a leathern wallet or bag. It was 
common to take two coats on a long journey, and 
in a rocky country a staff was so necessary to the 



traveller that a spare one was often carried. 
The prohibition to wear no shoes (unless they 
happened to have them on) does not contradict 
the permission of using sandals : the former were 
a kind of short boots of a softer leather. 



144 THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE COMMISSIONED AND SENT FORTH. 



ti? U d the t Js ^ S } 1 stirred ^ shall in blessings upon your own heads — but to them it 

able women, and the chief shall be of none effect. And whosoever shall not receive 

SS^&ISSSbE! y° u > nor obediently hear your words, openly exhibit this 

and Barnabas, and expel- sign, that you abandon such per sons as obnoxious to God's 

led them out of their coasts. 7 i 

But they shook oif the wrath: when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off 

them.tndc^r^fi^ tn e vei T dust i of Y our feet « for a testimony (a protesta- 

ni am i C heard another ^ on ) a g a i nst them ; thus will you declare in the plainest 

voice from heaven, saying, manner your sense of the guilt and peril of their unbelief, 

Come out of her, My peo- 7 , 7 , j • 7 j 77 . , 

pie, that ye be not par- an d that you are constrained to renounce all intercourse 

takers of her sins, and that with them Verily I say unto you, it shall be more tole- 

ye receive not of her J J J 7 v 

plagues. Rev. xvhi. 4. rable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah,— -which sinned 

k Because I have called not against light so strong, —in the Day of Judgment, than 

stotche/CTit 6 My 1 hraSE ^ or ^ e habitants o/that city; k for they will have rejected 

and no man regarded; but ffe Word of life, confirmed unto them by miracles of mercy 

ye have set at nought all ^ J 3 J * J J 

My counsel, and would from heaven. 

none of My reproof: I r* .. , , , 7 7 , 

also will laugh at your Expect not to receive honour and acceptance in your 

when ^om- 1 fear^cometh wor ^ •' behold I send you forth upon a mission of peril-*- 

Ft< a &th~ 2 c weak and defenceless among a cruel and wicked generation, 

which art exalted unto even as though defenceless sheep were sent in the midst of 

dowTtoteiij^T^ ravening wolves : be ye therefore wise as serpents 1 ^—as 

mighty works which have prudent and circumspect as those active creatures are in 

been done m thee had x - L 

been done in Sodom, it keeping yourselves from needless dangers ; and be ye harm- 

thSay? ve Bu™"sayunto ^ ess towards others, even as inoffensive as doves. m But 

you, it shall be more beware of worldly-minded men, n many of whom it will be 

tolerable for the iand of ^ * ° * 

Sodom in the day of judg- your lot to encounter : give them not the opportunity to 

ment than for thee. Matt. . . 7 , . , ,. 

xi. 23, 24. injure and persecute you ; ior they will deliver you up to 

* Now the serpent was tne councils (the various judicial tribunals), and they will 

S^e^tiei^which^e scour S e y ou m tne i r synagogues ° for preaching in My 



Lord God had made. Gen. name: And ye shall be brought before governors and 
m 'see then that ye walk kings for My sake, for a testimony, against (to) them and 
fctttflHSf 7 E 0 ph a$ v 00 i5 the unoelievin 9 Gentiles, of the truth of the Gospel, by 
the persecutions which ye cheerfully endure on its behalf 

«a I would have you r . • 9 J * \ . \ • i 

wise unto that which is -But when they deliver you up, and bring you into the 
fngeVn^S."^.^™" synagogues, and unto magistrates and heathen powers, take 
Brethren, be not chii- Ye n0 thought (be not anxiously solicitous) how or what 

dren m understandmg ; J i 

howbeit in malice be ye thing ye shall answer to their accusations, or what ye 

children. 1 Cor. xiv. 20. in . , 7 • • • n • , « . ,i , , 

That ye may be blame- shall say to their enquiries : tor it is not ye that are to 

less and harmless, the 

sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights 
of the world. Phil. ii. 15. 

n Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers. Phil. iii. 2. 

° Behold I send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes; and some of them ye shall Mil and crucify, 
and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city. Matt, xxiii. 34,— 
Of the Jews rive times received I forty stripes save one. 2 Cor. xi. 24. 



( 4 ) Shake off the very dust of your feet. ~\ This 
is one of those symbolical or figurative actions 
then common amongst the Jews, by which they 
enforced their words and illustrated them (see 
similar examples, Neh. v. 13, and Acts xxi. 11). 
— So holy did they esteem the land of Israel, 
that they thought it would contract pollution 
from the least particle of dust collected in tra- 
velling through any heathen country: they 



stopped, therefore, at its borders on their return, 
and wiped the dust from off their shoes. 

( 5 ) Wise as serpents.] This proverbial saying 
was in allusion to the common superstition, that 
when magicians failed in charming serpents (as 
they pretended they were generally able to do), 
these cunning creatures closed their ears to the 
enchantments. Hence the proverb cited by the 
Psalmist to this effect (Ps. lviii. 4, 5). 



THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE COMMISSIONED AND SENT FORTH. 145 



speak from your own wisdom, but it is the Spirit (ti) of your p Now therefore go, 

Father which speaketh in you :P the Holy Ghost shall mouth, "and h teach thee 

teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. .^"J^ shalt sa y- 

Nevertheless all your wisdom and caution shall not For I will give you a 

7 . , 7 7 . /.,, 7 7 , . 77 . .77 mouth and wisdom which 

disarm malice ; the malignity oj the human heart will still a ii your adversaries shall 
exhibit itself against you and the religion you teach. And ™' is b t e al j^ *° gj^J nor 
the brother ivho believeth not shall deliver up the Chris- Then there arose cer- 

.•11 it it 7 t • r ^ 7 77 t ani °1 the synagogue dis- 

tian brother to death, and the unbelieving father shall puting with Stephen : and 

betray the believing child; and so, on the other hand, the ^S^SJ^tdZ 

children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them J^Jj 011 he spake " 

to be put to death for their steadfast adherence to the faith. Notwithstanding the 

And ye in particular, My chosen followers, shall be hated Sengthened^me, that^y 

of all worldly-minded men for My name's sake ^ but he f e ^ e f eachin g ™ [ f ht 

, De hilly known, and that 

that endureth faithfully to the end of the days of perse- ail the Gentiles might 

cution, shall be saved v from the dreadful destruction which e dout of the month of die 

is to follow. But when they persecute you in this city llon * 2 Thn - iv - 11 ■ 

{in any one city), flee ve into another where ye may find an . q The world hath hated 

v ^ f * v 3 j them, because they are 

asylum; for verily 1 say unto you, Ye shall not have gone not of the world, even as 1 

77 ,i • .■ [* -r i ,1 tn r 1 amnotof the world. John 

over all the cities 01 Israel, till the son or man be come, XV ii. 14. 

with the Roman army as His instrument of vengeance, to r Fear none of those 

destroy this perverse and ungrateful people, Jjjjj?® 8 vvhlch th °B e thou 

To arm you against your approaching trials, I would faithful unto death, and 1 

have you consider that the disciple is not above his teacher, life. g Rev. h\io"°^ n ° 

nor the servant above his lord ; s such cannot therefore s Remember the word 

reasonably expect better treatment than their superiors meet that 1 said unt0 y° u > The 

. ■ servant is not greater than 

with : it is surely enough for the disciple that he be as his lord, if they have 

well treated as his master, and the servant as his lord. JJo^erScutejo^JoS 

They have calumniated, traduced, and persecuted Me ; and xv - 20 - 

if they have called the Master of the house {the Great 

Master of the human family) Beelzebub/ (7) — even styling * But some of them 

Him the chief of demons, — how much more shall they call jjj^jjjg t Sou g h Betfzebub* 

and proportionably revile them of His household ! * he ch | et " of ^ devils - 

Fear them not, therefore, nor despair in the least of the 
success of the Gospel; for there is nothing now obscured 
and covered that shall not be revealed, and nothing hid 
{concealed) that shall not be made known u throughout the u For there is nothing 

7 7 TTTi , t j n i i 77 p hid which shall not he 

world. What 1 tell you m darkness now, and by way oj man if es ted, neither was 

parable, that speak ye in the light; and what ye hear 

from Me privately in the ear, (8 ) — those mysterious points Mark iv. 22. 



( 6 ) It is not ye that speak, but the Spirit.] 
Other texts show that the Divinity which speaks 
through men is the Holy Trinity. Thus St. Paul 
represents the Father as speaking, " God spake 
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets" 
(Heb. i. 1); and the Son, f< Christ speaking in 
me" (2 Cor. xiii. 3). See also Section XL, 
Note 5. — It may be noticed in this place, that 
although holy men of old were thus taught, the 
age of inspiration and miraculous gifts has long 
since ceased ; and that it is vain and pre- 
sumptuous to expect (as certain modern secta- 
rians appear to do) the 'ike extraordinary aid 



in preaching, which was vouchsafed to the 
Apostles. 

(') Beelzebub.] See Section XL VI I., Note 3. 

( 8 ) What ye hear in the ear, <Jfc] These 
are allusions to Jewish customs. When the 
original Hebrew ceased to be the mother-tongue, 
their doctors explained the Law softly in the ear 
of an interpreter, who repeated what he said 
aloud in the Syriac or Chaldee. — Proclamations 
were made to the people from the roofs of 
houses, which were fiat in construction, with ba- 
lustrades around them. 

L 



146 THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE COMMISSIONED AND SENT FORTH. 



v The Lord will Wing 
to light the hidden things 
of darkness, and will make 
manifest the counsels of 
the hearts. 1 Cor. iv. 5. 

w Ye are my friends, 
if ye do whatsoever I 
command you. John xv. 
14. 

x The time cometh that 
whosoever killeth you will 
think that he doeth God 
service. John xvi. 2. 

y Hearken unto Me, ye 
that know righteousness, 
and in whose heart is My 
law: fear ye not the re- 
proach of men, neither he 
ye afraid of their revilings. 
Isa. li. 7. 

Be not afraid of their 
terror, neither be troubled; 
but sanctify the Lord God 
in your hearts, and be 
ready always to give an 
answer to every man that 
asketh you a reason of 
the hope that is in you 
with meekness and fear. 
1 Pet. hi. 14, 15. 

* And should I not 
spare Nineveh, that great 
city, wherein are more 
than sis-score thousand 
persons that cannot dis- 
cern between their right 
hand and their left, and 
also much cattle ? Jonah 
[v. 11. 

a And the people said 
unto Saul, Shall Jonathan 
die, who hath wrought 
this great salvation in 
Israel ? God forbid : as 
the Lord liveth, there shall 
not one hair of his head 
fall to the ground. 1 Sara, 
xiv. 45. 

Ye shall be hated of all 
men for My name's sake, 
but there shall not an 
hah of tout head perish. 
Luke xxi. 1 7, 18. 

There shall not an hair 
fall from the head of any 
of you. Acts xxvii. 3i. 

b If thou shalt confess 
with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and shalt believe in 
thine heart that God hath 
raised Him from the dead, 
thou shalt be saved: for 
with the heart man be- 
lieveth unto righteousness, 
and with the mouth con- 
fession is made unto sal- 
vation. Rom. x. 9, 10. 



which are not at once to be openly declared, such as the 
calling of the Gentiles and the abolition of the Law, — that 
preach ye in due time publicly, and as it were upon the 
house-tops. Remember also, as a caution for yourselves, 
that whatsoever ye have spoken secretly and in darkness,, 
shall in like manner be heard in the light, and that which 
ye have spoken in the ear in closets, shall be proclaimed 
upon the house-tops : v though you may be able to conceal 
your motives and actions from men, they will all be laid open 
before the assembled universe at the great Bay of account. 

And I say unto you, my friends, w although the boldness 
of your testimony to the Truth cost you your lives, be not 
afraid of them that can only kill the body/ and after that 
have no more that they can do — for they are not able to 
kill the soul : but I will forewarn you whom you shall fear; 
rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and 
body ; which after He hath killed, hath power to cast into 
hell. Yea, I say unto you, fear Him J But indeed, you have 
no cause for anxiety even concerning your bodily safety, since 
no one can set on to hurt you without the Divine permission : 
Are not two sparrows (9) sold for a farthing [sometimes at 
the still lower rate of five sparrows for two farthings, 
Luke] ? and yet, though they are creatures of such 
trifling value, not one of them is forgotten before God ; 
for a single one of them shall not fall on the ground or die 
without the knowledge or permission of jour Father. 2 But 
as for you, rest assured that the same gracious Providence, 
which ivatches over the smallest objects, is more peculiarly 
concerned for the welfare of men honoured with so dis- 
tinguished a charge ; and even the very hairs of your head 
are all numbered. a Fear not therefore for any thing : ye 
are of unspeakably more value in the sight of God than 
many sparrows {than the whole species of such inferior 
creatures). Also I say unto you, in addition to ilvese high 
considerations for preserving your fidelity, Whosoever shall 
fearlessly confess Me b(10) and profess the Gospel before 
men, him will I, the Son of man, confess also, — owning him 
as My faithful servant, and assigning him his sure reward, — 
not only before the assembled world, but before the angels of 
God — even before {in the immediate Presence of) My 
Father which is in Heaven. But he that, to avoid perse- 
cution, denieth Me before men, shall be disowned by Me at 



( 9 ) Sparrows.'] These birds are supposed to 
have been used in the Temple for cleansing 
lepers (Lev. xiv. 4), and were consequently sold 
there, as well as doves for purifying females 
(John ii. 14). The farthing was equal to a half- 
penny farthing of our money. — There was a 
saying very similar to the one here employed by 



our Saviour : " Avicula sine caelo non perit, 
quanto minus homo" (A bird perisheth not with- 
out the providence of God, much less a man). 

( '") Whosoever shall con fess Me.] The original 
word here rendered " confess," is, in our transla- 
tion of 1 Tim. vi. 12, rendered "profess." 



THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE COMMISSIONED AND SENT FORTH. 147 



the Last Great Bay— denied both before the angels of 

God, and before My Father which is in Heaven." ^ g*h~ 

Ze^ me warn yow I am come to send, in they that despise Me shall 

ejfec?, fire on the earth — not alone the glowing and cheer- sam h § h 30. esteemed " 1 

ing ivarmth of zeal, and love, and piety: the unhal- al ™^£™J^ T ^ 

lowed and raging flame of hatred and jealousy will also ii ^ thatovercometh the 

be lighted up ; for My doctrine will incense a wicked world same shall he clothed in 

against Me and My followers, and so become a cause of ^SS^ *u7S 

heats and strong con tentions. And yet, since the Salvation the book of life, but I will 

& u . contess his name before 

of man cannot othenvise be accomplished, what will I if it My Father and before 
be {what do I desire so much as that it ivere) already Hls an§eis - ev " m * °" 
kindled,— that it may be extinguished the sooner ! But I 
Myself have, also, a baptism of sorroiv to be baptized d Are ye aWe t0 drink 
with: d and how am I straitened, as one in durance, till ^^ p an J " L "bap! 
it be accomplished, and the time of My sufferings has tized with b th J Jj apti t ^ 
arrived to complete the great work of Redemption! Sup- Matt. 22. 
pose ye, because the Prophets have foretold My peaceful 
reign, that there will be no such persecutions as I describe to 
you ; and that I am come to give at once peace on earth ? (n) 
I tell you, Nay, but rather division. For although the un- 
doubted purpose and general tendency of the Gospel is to 
promote the most endearing love and lasting peace ; yet, 
through the ignorance and wickedness of men, it will rather 
seem as if I came, not to send peace, but a sword. (12 > 
Even the bands of nature and friendship will be broken; 
for from henceforth there shall be five in one house 
divided, three against two, and two against three. I am 
come to preach a doctrine, which will set a man at variance 
against his father, and the father shall be divided against v , . 

o * & eltea, mine own fami- 

the son; the mother against the daughter, and the liar Mend in whom I 

, , , . . , 1 . 1 . , . , . trusted, which did eat of 

daughter against the mother ; the mother-in-law against my bread, hath lifted up 
her daughter-in-law [against her son's wife,) and the ^ ^ei against me. p s . 
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law (against her For ^ son dishonour- 

„ » • 7 77 7 7 eth the father, the daugh- 

husband s mother). And thus it shall happen thai a man s ter riseth up against her 
foes shall be they of his own households Yet this result ^tolS 
shall discover who are worthy to be My disciples; for he in - laA y- a mans enemies 

u 0 ± v are the men 01 his own 

that loveth father or mother more than Me — preferring house. Mic. vii. 6. 



( n ) To give -peace on earth?] It should 
be remembered that the word here rendered 
" earth" often signifies the Land of Judea (see Matt, 
xxiii. 35). Our Lord's words have, indeed, their 
general application, but there was no part of the 
world where Christianity led to so much dissen- 
sion as in Judea. Josephus tells us that " there 
arose hi every city tumults and civil wars, and 
no sooner had they any respite from the Ro- 
mans, but they turned their hands against one 
another." 

( l2 ) / came, not to send peace, but a sivord.] 
This is a forcible, but not unusual idiom — a 
mode of expression by which the foreseen conse- 
quence of any measure is represented as the pur- 
pose for which that measure was adopted. The 



words announce a result, and not the design of 
the introduction of Christianity. We must 
search elsewhere than in the nature of so pure 
and perfect a Dispensation, why the sword rather 
than the olive-branch should at any time be 
ascendant upon earth : the cause is the inve- 
terate enmity of the human heart itself, which 
refuses the terms of reconciliation descending 
from above, and puts the weapons of its own war- 
fare into the hands of the herald of peace. — 
During the first ages of the Christian Church, 
our Lord's words on this occasion were painfully 
verified; but the natural and general effect of 
Christianity, as we now happily see with na- 
tions, — if not always in families, — is Peace. 



148 THE TWELVE APOSTLES ARE COMMISSIONED AND SENT FORTH. 

their wishes to My precepts, or disowning Me for their sake, 
— is not worthy of Me; and so he that loveth son or 
daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me. (13 ) And 
he that, consulting his own ease and safety, taketh not up 
his cross, (14) and followeth after Me, — ready, if needful, to 
suffer all for My sake, — is not worthy of Me, and cannot 
be My disciple. And this I tell you for your warning and 
encouragement : He that findeth his life, — that preserveth 
it for a little while by a desertion of My cause, — shall lose it 
hereafter ; and he that loseth his life, — laying it down if 
called on to do so for My sake,- — shall find it happily improved 
into Life Eternal. 

As for you, My chosen servants, he that receiveth you, 
'And the King shall an- shall be esteemed as one that receiveth Me, f whose ministers 

swer and say unto them, 77777 7 ,7 7777 •» 

inasmuch as ye have done ye are ; he shall be recompensed as though he had received 
{LTm; ^StaT'yl My self in per son : and he that receiveth Me, receiveth Him 
have done^t unt0 Me. that sent Me; for My Father in Heaven will regard it as 
Ye received me as an done unto Himself. Let no base fears of sharing your 
Christ Jesu?.° d GaL iy. 14 afflictions, withhold men from those acts of kindness on your 
behalf which they ought to esteem a privilege, as well as 
their duty: He that receiveth a prophet [any teacher of 
My Religion) in the name of a prophet, and as one sent 
from God, shall himself receive a prophets reward; and 
he that receiveth a righteous man (any sincere professor of 
My Religion) in the name of a righteous man, and because 
he is such, shall receive a righteous man^s reward. And 
% For God is not un- whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones 
Ivorif ami kbouTof love a CU P °^ co ^ water only, in the name of a disciple (render- 
which ye have shewed to- { n g the most inconsiderable service to the meanest of My 

ward His name, in that , , , ~, . ,. . -it 

ye have ministered to the disciples, simply because he is a Christian), verily I say unto 

Heb S vi a io. d ° minister * y° u > he sna11 in no wise lose his rewards 
. .... And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of 

» — and that repentance . 

and remission of sins commanding (giving these directions to) His twelve Disci- 

should be preached in His , tt 1 i ,1 i i , . . . 

name among all nations, pies, He departed thence to teach and preach in their 
Lirxriv.47. JerUSalem ' cities * And tne Y also departed, and went out through the 
towns, and preached the Gospel, that men should repent. h 

* Is any sick among . 

you? Let him send for And, in the exercise of the miraculous powers conferred on 
and fet e &em t pray lU ovCT. them, they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil i(15) 
him, anointing him with man y that were sick, and thoroughly healed them every- 

oil in the name oi the J 3 *J v j 

Lord. Jas. v. 14. where they went. 



( 13 ) He that loveth father or mother more than 
Me, Our Lord here, as in other places, 

demands that supreme love with which the Law 
requires us to love God; a claim which is as 
strong an evidence of his Divinity as a direct affir- 
mation of it. No mere man can make such a 
demand without becoming the rival of his Creator, 
who is a jealous God, and will not give His glory 
to another (see Exod. xx. 5 ; Isa. xlii. 8). Yet 
the Apostles felt the claim of Jesus to be just ; 
and love to Him, which is the pre-eminent and 
distinguishing feature of Christianity, becomes, 



upon the orthodox scheme of His divinity, both 
natural and reasonable. 

( u ) Taketh not his cross.'] The Jews and 
Romans used this phrase . to signify any extra- 
ordinary sufferings. A malefactor, going to cru- 
cifixion, was compelled to bear his cross. 

( I5 ) Anointed with oil] Things in their own 
nature useless or ineffectual can cure in the hand 
of God. The Apostles, after their Lord's ex- 
ample (John ix. 6), only applied the oil as a sig- 
nificant action, and in accommodation to human 
weakness. It was usual, indeed, with the Jews 



149 



SECTION LX. 

John the Baptist is beheaded by Herod; who, afterwards 
hearing of jesus, imagines hlm to be the baptist risen 

FROM THE DEAD. 

Matt. xiv. 1, 2, 6—12. Mark vi. 14—16, 21—29. Luke ix. 7—9. 

BUT when a day convenient for the designs of Herodias 
against the Baptist was come [when Herod's birth- 
day was kept, Matt.], and it happened that Herod made 
a great supper a to (for) his lords, with the high captains a And it came to pass 
(the officers of rank in his army) and chief estates (the lead- 
ing men) of Galilee ; and when Salome, the young daughter J 1 ? made a feast jmto ail 
of the said Herodias by her husband Philip, came in, and 20. 
danced before them/ 1 ) and pleased Herod and them that 
sat with him, the king, transported ivith the grace and con- 
descension she had shewn before his guests, said unto the 
damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt and I will give it 
thee. And he promised her with an oath, and sware unto 
her, saying, with the inconsiderate prodigality of Eastern 
princes, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it 
thee, unto the half of my kingdom b (though it cost the worth b T hen \ ia « 

7 , J 0 v & unto her, What wilt thou, 

Of half my kingdom) . queen Esther ? And what 

And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What even 5 givei^thee ^tf\hl 
shall I ask? And she said, Ask the head of John the hatfofihe kingdom. Esth. 
Baptist. And she, being thus beiore-hand instructed of 
her mother, came in straightway with haste (with alacrity) 
unto the king, and asked (made her demand), saying, I 
will (/ desire) that thou give me here by and by (presently), 
in a charger (a trencher, or broad flat dish), the head of c Then the ting when 

John the Baptist. he heard these words^was 

And the king was exceeding sorry c (2) that so extra- 

the king commanded, and 

ordinary a request should be made ; for it was, in itself, in- ^aln^ 
auspicious on such a day, and to grant it would render him Hons. Dan. vi. 14, 16. 



to anoint the sick with oil as an alleviation of 
disease and with a view to recovery, but here 
the cures were constant and certain. The sooth- 
ing effect of oil was looked upon, among the 
ancients, as symbolical of aid and comfort from 
God. — This practice undoubtedly continued for 
some time in the Christian Church as a token of 
miraculous cure, but it was obvious that it should 
have been discontinued when miracles ceased. 
Yet the Popish ceremony (the Sacrament, as 
Romanists term it) of extreme unction appears 
to have this origin ; and it is strangely employed 
by them, — not in order to an ordinary, nor even a 
miraculous cure, but when all hope of recovery 
is past. 

(*) Danced before them.] It was unusual in 
the East for modest women and ladies of rank to 



appear at all on such public occasions. Queen 
Vashti thought it so dishonourable, that rather 
than submit to it, even when commanded by 
Ahasuerus, she forfeited her crown (Esth. i. 12, 
1 9) ; but Esther afterwards presented herself in 
open court when she had an important request 
to make (Esth. v. 1, &c). It is evident that the 
scene before us was skilfully contrived by Hero- 
dias to take vengeance upon J ohn. 

( a ) And the king was exceeding sorry.] The 
heathens were solicitous on their birth-days to 
avoid ill omens and contentions, especially shed- 
ding of blood. So Martial, " Natalem colimus ; 
tacete lites." They were scrupulous also about 
refusing requests made at their entertainments : 
so Herodotus relates, that " Xerxes thought the 
petition of his wife Amytas could not be denied, 
on account of those at the banquet." 



150 



JOHN THE BAPTIST IS BEHEADED. 



unpopular with his poorer subjects: nevertheless, for his 
oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him at 
meat and witnessed it, he would not reject her — he com- 
manded it to be given her. And immediately the king 
sent one of his body-guards to act as an executioner, and 
commanded his head to be brought (3) where they were 
sitting. And he {the soldier) went immediately, and 
beheaded John in the prison, and brought his head in a 
charger, and, by command of the king, gave it to the 
damsel; and the damsel brought it and gave it to her 
mother/ 4 ^ 

And when his disciples heard of it, they came, and 
having obtained permission, took up his corpse, and respect- 
fully laid it, mutilated as it was, in a tomb ; and then they 
went and told Jesus. 

Now at that time, while the Apostles were preaching 
and working miracles in their Master's name, Herod the 
And His fame went tetrarch [king Herod, Luke] heard of the fame of 
M^tt.^L. aU S3na * Jesus, d ( 6 ) — of all that was done by Him and His Apostles ; 

for His name was now spread abroad in all that part of 
the country. And he was perplexed with doubts and fears, 
because that it was said of some that John was risen from 
e Behold i win send the dead ; and of some it was suggested that Elias, e so long 
Srf ^confing of P ae expected, had appeared ; and of others that one of the old 
tiw a Lord dd S' U iv d 5 y ° f P ro P nets who preceded Elijah was risen again: and others 
And they asked Him, also said, that it surely is a prophet come to life again, or 
Scribfs thlt^EifaY must at least a person equal in power and as (like) one of the 

first come? Mark ix. 11. prophetSt 

But when Herod had enquired and heard more parti- 
cularly thereof, he said, John I have certainly beheaded ; 
but who then is this of whom I hear such wonderful 
things ? And at length, — his guilty conscience disclosing his 
fears to those about him, — he said unto his servants (his 



( 8 ) Commanded his head to be brought.'] It 
was (and is said to be still) the custom with 
Eastern princes to require the heads of those 
whom they had ordered to be executed, to be 
brought into their presence, that so they might 
be assured of their death. Roman history 
relates a like instance : Agrippina, the mother of 
Nero, sent an officer to pnt to death Lollia 
Paulina, who had been her rival for the imperial 
dignity, and the head was brought for her exa- 
mination. John had been confined (as Josephus 
states) at the fort of Machserus, in Peraea; but 
the execution seems to have taken place at once 
in Galilee, where the guests were assembled. 

( 4 ) Anil the damsel gave it to her mother.'] 
Upon all the three parties here concerned was 
the murder of John remarkably avenged. Herod 
was defeated in the war with the king of Petrsea, 
occasioned by his marrying Herodias ; and the 
Jews looked upon it as a judgment, — "God being 
angry with him (writes Josephus) for the death 
of John the Baptist." Both he, and Herodias, 



whose ambition caused his ruin, were banished 
from their kingdom, and died at Lyons ; which 
(observes the same writer) was "done in punish- 
ment of her malice, and of his readiness to 
hearken to her solicitations." Lastly, History 
records concerning the daughter, that she fell 
into the ice as she was crossing it in winter time, 
which closing suddenly, severed her head from 
her body. 

( 5 ) Herod heard of the fame of Jesus. ] It may 
seem strange that Herod had not heard of these 
things before. But there is good reason for sup- 
posing that he was at Rome at the commence- 
ment of our Lord's ministry, and he was after- 
wards much engaged with his Arabian war. At 
all times, however, he was a dissolute man, pay- 
ing little attention to any of the affairs of the 
people ; and though he might have heard of 
Christ, he probably did not think the matter 
worthy his notice, until now that such asto- 
nishing miracles were wrought, both by Christ, 
and by others in His name. 



THE FEARS OF HEROD. 



151 



mi/iisters or courtiers who were in attendance), What is 
said is no doubt the case : this is John the Baptist whom I 
beheaded ; he is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty 
works (6) do now show forth themselves in him. — And he 
desired much to see Him/ that he might ascertain whether 
He ivere the Baptist or not. 



1 And when Hernd saw 
Jesus, he was exceeding 
glad ; for he was desirous 
to see Him of a long sea- 
son, because he had heard 
many things of Him. 
Luke xxiii. 8. 



SECTION LXI. 

The Apostles return from their Mission, and Jesus retires 
with them from capernaum to the other side of the lake. 
The multitude follow, and above five thousand are mira- 
culously FED. 

Matt. xiv. 13 — 23. Mark vi. 30—46. Luke ix. 10—17- John vi. 1—15. 



AND the Apostles, when they were returned, gathered 
themselves together unto Jesus, and told Him all 
things — both what miracles they had done in His name, 
and what doctrines they had taught, in pursuance of the 
commission He had given them. And when Jesus heard of 
it (1) [heard their statement), He said unto them, Come ye 
yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile— for 
there were many persons continually coming and going to 
and fro where they -were ; and the interruption ivas so great 
that they had no leisure so much as to eat a their meals. 

And, accordingly, after these things, He took them, and 
went aside ; and they departed thence by ship, privately, 
into a desert place belonging to the city, and which lay 
apart from public view, called Bethsaida.^ And as this 
spot lay upon the north-eastern shore, Jesus went thither 
over the sea of Galilee, which is also called the sea of 
Tiberias. (3) And when the people had by some means 
heard thereof, and saw them departing, and many of them 
knew Him W (distinguished Him in the boat), a great mul- 



a And the multitude 
cometh together again, so 
that they could not so 
much as eat bread. Mark 
iii. 20. 



( 6 ) Mighty works.'] The original may also be 
rendered, as at 1 Pet. iii. 22, heavenly " powers. " 
Although John " did no miracle" (which Herod 
might have known), it was a natural supposition 
that, after his resurrection, power would be given 
him to establish the truth of it, as well as to 
clear his innocence and overawe his enemies. 
Herod's wild alarm and inconsistency on this 
occasion, appears in his supposing John to be 
risen at all, when, as a Sadducee, all his own 
previous notions would be opposed to such a 
fact. 

( l ) When Jesus heard of it.] The words "of 
given in our translation of St. Matthew, do 
not occur in the original. As placed in that 
Gospel, they would seem to refer rather to the 
death of J ohn ; but that was no reason why our 
Lord should fly from the dominions of Herod, 



who was desirous to see and hear Him (Luke 
ix. 9). From the accounts of Mark and Luke, 
it seems clear that He retired with His disci- 
ples, after hearing their statement, in order to 
give them rest, and to secure greater privacy. 

( 2 ) Bethsaida.] See Section XX., Note 5. 

( 3 ) Which is the Sea of Tiberias.] Thus was 
the Lake of Gennesaret (or Sea of Galilee) after- 
wards designated, because Tiberias became the 
most considerable place on its shore. This ex- 
planation is added by St. John, proving that this 
Evangelist wrote later than the others. 

( 4 ) And many knew Him.] So our transla- 
tion renders : but unless explained of the people 
discerning Him at a distance, it would seem 
unlikely that the Evangelist should state that 
many of them knew Him. The Greek relative 
pronoun in this passage may also, with equal cor- 
rectness;, be understood of the place to which they 



152 



JESUS COMPASSIONATES THE MULTITUDE. 



titude followed Him, because they saw His miracles which 
He lately did on them that were diseased. And, noticing 
the direction of the boat, they followed, — their numbers 
increasing out of all the cities through which they passed ; 
and ran thither a-foot (by the foot-way) ; and, the wind not 
favouring the party in the boat, the people outwent them, 
and came together first unto Him where He was to land. 

And when Jesus came out of the boat, and lifted up His 
eyes, and saw much people [a great company, John ] come 
b Now Philip was of unto Him, He saith unto Philip, b Whence shall ye buy 

Bethsaida. John i. 44. ^ ^ may ^ ? ^ Re ^ fo 

in particular, not only because that Apostle was a native of 
Bethsaida, but, as he was slow of faith, in order to prove 
c je S us sa ith unto Mm jft m ;C f or He Himself knew well what He would do. 

Have 1 been so Jong time t \ 

with you, and yet hast Philip, surprised at the question, answered Him, Two hun- 
hp? John xiv. 9. ' ~ dred penny-worth (more than six English pounds' ivorth) of 
bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them 
may take even a little. One of His disciples, namely 
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, overhearing this, and, with 
more thought, reflecting that Jesus would not unmeaningly 
ask the question, saith unto Him, There is a lad vjaiting 
here, (5) which hath five barley loaves, and two small 
fishes, but what are they among so many ? 

And Jesus, as He beheld the multitude, was moved 
with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep 

* i saw ail Israel scat- no t having a shepherd d to lead them forth into wholesome 

tered upon the hills as 7 • 7 y> 7 77 7 ± j 2. 

sheep that have not a pastures, being left to stray as they would, neglected by 
shepherd. 1 Kings xxii. fhdr spiritua i gu ifa St And, notwithstanding that He had 
My flock was scattered souqht this retired spot for privacy, He received them e 

upon all the face of the " , * 0 * • . . 

earth, and none did search graciously : and He healed their sick, — all them that had 
xx5v k 6. fter them " Ezek * need of healing ; and began to teach many things, and 

• 1 am the good Shep s P ake unto them of the Kingdom of God. 

herd M J sliee P he** And, that He might more conveniently address so large 

My voice, and I know 9 % * ■ 1 j 

them, and they follow Me. a multitude, J esus afterwards went up, as on previous like 
Johnx. 11, 27. occasions, into a mountain; and there He sat to teach, 

with His disciples around Him. And the Passover, which 
was a feast of the Jews, was now nigh. 

And when the day, now far spent, began to wear away, 
'And they were hang- anc [ ft was f ne -fi rs t evening/ ( 6 ) then His twelve disciples 

ing on the trees until the u J? . _ 

evening. And it came to (the Apostles) came unto Him, and said, 1 his is a desert 

goKg^down ^oTtht place where no provisions can be had, and now the time of 

and they took theTdown dining is far passed : send the multitude away that they 

Josh. x. 26, 27. may go into the towns and the country (or scattered 



were going, and which is also mentioned just 
before : " they knew it (the spot), and followed 
thither." 

( 5 ) There is a lad here.] This youth seems 
to have been in attendance on the Apostles to 
carry their provisions. They afterwards speak 
of the loaves and the fish as belonging to them- 
selves. 



( 6 ) And it was evening.] It was about three 
o'clock, the sun having left the meridian. The 
Jews had two evenings, between which the 
Passover was to be eaten. The Evangelist 
(St. Matthew), who is here speaking of the first 
evening, is the same who afterwards describes the 
latter evening as "now come." Thus a sufficient 
interval was allowed for the miracle. 



FIVE THOUSAND ARE MIRACULOUSLY FED. 



153 



hamlets) round about, and lodge, and buy themselves bread * Whence should I have 

and get victuals ; for they have here nothing to eat. — But peopieP.^Tshdi a^LSs 

Jesus, having learned already from Andrew what provision J^J® h ^ c ^ \hem? or 

there was at hand, said unto them, They need not depart for shall ail the fish of the 

,, , . . • i j i sea be gathered together 

that purpose; give ye them something to eat. And they f or them, to suffice them? 

say unto Him, Shall we go and buy two hundred penny- N Tnd htsiw, oWe unto 

worth of bread (7) ("meat or provision, Luke] for all this the people that they may 

.. .. ' , eat. And his servitor said, 

people, and give it them to eat }s He saith unto them, What, should i set this be- 
How many loaves have ye ? go and see. And they said, SdTgau^lSv^the'pS 
We have no more but five loaves and two small fishes, that they may eat ; for 

thus saitn the Lord, 1 hey 

He Said, Bring them hither tO Me. shall eat and shall leave 

Now there was much grass in the place, and He com- Is" 60 '" 2 Kl " 8S 1V * 42 ' 

manded the multitude to sit down upon the green grass; ~} e ^ Z 116 ^ spa K e 

* o o ? against Grid and said, 

and He said to His disciples, Make them all sit down by Can God furnish a table 

-,. , , i,i n^i i n tne wilderness? Be- 

companies. And they did so, and made them all sit down, hold He smote the rock, 

So the men sat down (reclined for the meal) in ranks,( 3 ) £S ed o °^ 

by hundreds and bv fifties (in fifty rows containing a hun- flowed: can He give bread 

, , 7\7. 7, ,7 • i i r i a ' so can ^ e P rov ide Uesh 

area each) — being altogether m number about five thou- tor His people? p». 

sand. ixxvih.19,20. 

Then Jesus took the five loaves and the two fishes, 

and looking up reverentially to heaven, He blessed h God * — nigh unto the place 
over them: and when He had given thanks, He brake the 

loaves, (9) and distributed portions to His disciples to set |j en thanks. John vi. 
before the multitude ; and the disciples gave them to the 
multitude that were set down : and the two fishes likewise 

divided He among them all, as much as they would. And . ._ . 

° 7 J 1 So he set it before 

so miraculously were the provisions increased as they passed them, and they did eat and 

through the hands of Jesus, that they did all eat, and were 44! thereot ' 2 1V * 

filled i {were fully satisfied") . fi]] ^ the ^ h d ™ d were 

When they were filled, He said unto His twelve disci- . mi 

' ' . K ihen he said unto 

pies, Lratner up the fragments that remain, that nothing them, Go your way, eat 

of God's good gifts be lost.* C") Therefore they gathered ^^^ sw ^ 

them together; and, each bearing a basket, they filled J e ™. o l°^' h0 ^ o " 0t ^°? 

twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley 10. 



( 7 ) Two hundred pennyworth of bread.] It has 
been supposed that this might be the whole 
pecuniary stock of the Apostles ; but such a 
sum was proverbial for what we commonly 
call " a j*ood round sum," and, from Philip's 
previous reply, this would appear to be the 
import. 

( 8 ) In ranks.] The original expression is de- 
rived from the seed-beds of a garden. In com- 
puting the number of persons present, the eye- 
witnesses would not speak by guess, for the dis- 
position of the people in exact divisions enabled 
them to calculate with certainty. 

( 9 ) Brake the loaves.] The Jewish loaves 
were broad, thin, and brittle, resembling cakes 
or biscuits, and would be likely to leave many 
fragments in the distribution to so vast a mul- 
titude. 

( 10 ) Gather up the fragments that remain, 
<f-c] By this further proceeding, the truth and 
greatness of the miracle would be more fully 



proved, convincing those present that there could 
be no magical deception. The reason assigned 
for the act by our Lord is also eminently de- 
serving of our attention ; for it shows that He, 
to whom u the earth and the fulness thereof" 
belongs, is no friend to a lavish waste of His 
gifts : and as, by feeding these thousands, He set 
us an example of liberality, so, by taking care of 
the fragments, He teaches us that frugality and 
charity must go hand in hand. 

( n ) Twelve baskets.] The Jews made use of 
portable flag-baskets for their provisions (see 
Deut. xxviii. 5), in order to avoid the pollution 
of heathen countries where they travelled. Pro- 
bably each of the Apostles had one of these in 
the boat. Juvenal mentions (Sat. iii. 14 and 
vi. 512) a kind of basket under the same name, 
in which the Roman poor, or some of the Jews 
at Rome, carried about their provisions, with 
hay also for a bed. Martial, in an Epigram, 
terms a Jew, cistifer, "a basket bearer." 



154 



THE MULTITUDE ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS AS THE MESSIAH. 



1 The Lord thy God 
will raise up unto thee a 
Prophet from the midst 
of thee, of thy brethren, 
like unto me: unto Him 
shall ye hearken. Deut. 
xviii. 15. 

Many of the people said, 
Of a truth this is the Pro- 
phet. John vii. 40. 



At even, — at the 
going down of the sun. 
Deut. xvl. 6. 



loaves and of the fishes, which remained over and above 
unto them that had eaten. And beside women and 
children, who sat apart by themselves, they that had eaten 
were about five thousand men. 

Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that 
Jesus did, (l2 ) — reminding them so forcibly of the feeding of 
their fathers in the wilderness, and of the prediction of 
Moses that a Prophet like unto himself would appear, — they 
said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into 
the world. 1(13 J And under the then-popular notion that the reign 
of the Messiah was to be of a temporal kind, and believing 
that all obstacles must give way to the power of One who 
could feed an army in a desert, the people were anxious that 
He should forthwith declare Himself. — When Jesus there- 
fore perceived that they would come and take Him by- 
force, to make Him a king, He straightway constrained His 
disciples, — who would have readily joined with the people in 
such a movement, — to get into the ship, and to go before 
Him, across a small creek which intervened, to the other 
side unto the city of Bethsaida ; while He, with less diffi- 
culty in their absence, sent away {bade farewell to) the 
people : (14) all of whom at His urgent desire quitted the 
place, intending to return in the morning. And when He 
had sent them away, and the latter evening was now 
come™ He departed again Himself [He went up, Matt.] 
into a mountain to pray : and He was there alone. 



( 12 ) When they had seen the miracle that Jesus 
did, S{c.~\ This, which is the most astonishing 
and most extensively convincing of our Lord's 
miracles, is recorded by all the Evangelists ; 
indeed, it is the only one found in each of 
their narratives. St. John has added the inci- 
dental circumstance that " there was much grass 
in the place," showing that he was an eye-witness 
of the event which he considered sufficiently im- 
portant to be recorded in each separate Gospel. 
It has been supposed that he only repeats it 
as introductory to our Lord's sublime discourse 
of eating His flesh, which so soon succeeds ; but 
the important addition of the effect of this mi- 
racle is given by St. John alone. 

( 13 ) That Prophet that should come into the 
world. ] The speakers here evidently allude to 
the famous prediction delivered by Moses, that a 
Prophet like unto himself was to appear. The 
resemblance between our Lord and this most 
distinguished of His types was very remark- 
able. They were both Lawgivers, as well as 
Prophet, Priest, and King. Moses had been 
wonderfully preserved in his infancy from the 
destruction of all the male children ; had quitted 
his country to escape the hands of the king ; and 
was directed to return home in nearly the same 
words that were used by the Angel to Joseph. 
He soon became distinguished for his wisdom, 
was very meek above all men then on the earth, 
and refused the temporal distinctions of royalty, 
choosing rather to suffer affliction. He con- 
firmed his religion by miracles, supplying the 



people with bread in the Wilderness, command- 
ing the sea, and forcing similar acknowledgments 
of Divine power from the magicians, as Christ 
received from evil spirits. He observed a mira- 
culous fast for forty days. When he descended 
from the Blount, after the giving of the Law, his 
face shone in a remarkable manner, and our 
Lord's countenance did " shine as the sun" at 
His Transfiguration. Moses interceded for 
transgressors, desiring to die for the people: 
yet all his toils and affection for them were 
repaid with ingratitude and murmuring, — even 
his own kindred rebelling against him, — and 
their conduct becoming at last the occasion of 
his death. They could not enter into that Land 
of Promise which he had so often pointed out 
to them, until his death had taken place. At 
length, after promising "another Prophet," as 
Christ promised " another Comforter," he as- 
cended a mountain, and expired in the presence 
of the people, while he was yet in his perfect 
vigour. He was afterwards buried, but his dead 
body could never be found. — If we cannot find, 
in all the records of history, one so like to Christ 
as was Moses, or so like to Moses as was Christ, 
then " We have found Him of whom Moses in the 
Law did write, Jesus of Nazareth," the Son of 
God (John i. 45). 

( l4 ) Sent away the people.'] This rendering 
is somewhat harsh. Our Version more ele- 
gantly translates the same word as " bidding 
farewell" at Luke ix. 61, and as "taking leave" 
at Acts xviii. 13 and 2 Cor. ii. 13. 



155 



SECTION LXII. 

Jesus appears to His disciples, during a tempest, walking on 

THE SEA. 

Matt. xiv. 24—36. Mark vi. 47—56. John vi. 16—21. 



AND when even was now come, His disciples went down, 
as He had commanded them, unto the sea, and entered 
into a ship ; and, the wind being contrary, they could not 
reach Bethsaida, but went directly over the sea towards 
Capernaum : and it was now dark, and the ship was 
nearly half-way, in the midst of the sea ; and Jesus was 
not as yet come unto them, but was still alone on the 
land. 

And the sea arose, — running very high by reason of a 
great wind that blew, — and the ship was violently tossed 
with the waves; for the wind was still contrary unto 
them. So when they had rowed about five-and-twenty or 
thirty furlongs [between three and four miles), Jesus saw 
them from the mountain toiling in rowing ; a and cometh 
unto them in the fourth watch of the night b (1) (just as it 
began to dawn, after three in the morning), walking on the 
sea, c and made as though He would have passed by them. d 
And when the disciples saw Him walking thus on the 
sea (2) and drawing nigh unto the ship, they, not discerning 
that it was He, were afraid, saying, It is a spirit e (3) [an 
apparition) ! and they cried out for fear ; for they all saw 
Him, and were much troubled. And immediately He 
talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer, 
(Take courage), It is I, be not afraid. 

And Peter, with his accustomed eagerness, answered 
Him ; and, — confident that he should be able to join his 
Master if permitted to do so, — said, Lord, if it be Thou, 
bid me come unto Thee on the water. f And He said 
unto him, Come ;& (4) for He purposed both to test Peter's 
faith and to convince him of his weakness. 



a Nevertheless the men 
rowed hard to bring it to 
land, but they could not, 
for the sea wrought and 
was tempestuous against 
them. Jon. i. 13. 

b Watch ye, therefore, 
for ye know not when the 
Master of the house 
cometh, — at even, or at 
midnight, or at the cock- 
crowing, or in the morn- 
ing. Mark xiii. 35. 

c Which alone spread- 
eth out the heavens, and 
treadeth upon the waves 
of the sea. Job ix. 8. 

d He made as though 
He M ould have gone fur- 
ther. Lukexxiv. 28. 



c But they were terri- 
fied and affrighted, and 
supposed that they had 
seen a spirit. Luke xxiv. 
37. 



f I can do all things 

through Christ which 

strengtbeneth me. Phil. 
iv.13. 

s When thou passest 
through the waters, I will 
be with thee; and through 
the rivers, they shall not 
overflow thee. Isa. xliii. 



The 

Jewish Scriptures notice only three watches (see 
Exod. xiv. 24; Judg. vii. 19 ; Lam. ii. 19) ; but 
it is certain that, after the time of Pompey, the 
Roman custom of four divisions was adopted. 
Each contained about three of our hours : the 
first began at six, which was the evening watch ; 
the second at nine, called midnight ; the third 
at twelve, called cock-crowing ; the fourth at 
three, which was the morning watch. 

( 2 ) Walking on the sea.} This is described 
by Job (see in the Margin) as one of the pecu- 
liar prerogatives of the Deity. Feet walking on 
the sea was the Egyptian hieroglyphic for impos- 
sibility. 

( 3 ) It is a spirit.'] The Pharisees fully be- 



lieved in the existence of spirits, and in their power 
to appear in human form. That such a belief 
was prevalent among the Jews is evident from 
their Greek version of the Psalms, where they 
render the Hebrew text "the pestilence that 
walketh in darkness" (Ps. xci. 6) as follows: 
" the fear of the spirits that walk in the night." 

( 4 ) And He said unto Aim, Come.} When 
the malicious Pharisees asked a sign, they were 
repulsed ; but it was granted to Peter, because 
he made the request with a good intention : he 
was permitted, however, to come, not only that 
he might walk on the water and know his Lord's 
power, but that he might sink and know his own 
weakness. 



156 



JESUS WALKS UPON THE SEA. 



h Save me, O God, for 
the waters are come in 
unto my soul. I sink in 
deep mire where there is 
no standing; I am come 
into deep waters where 
the floods overflow me. 
Ps. lxix. 1, 2. 

1 Pie that wavereth is 
like a wave of the sea, 
diiven with the wind and 
tossed 



k Then they ciy unto 
the Lord in their trouble, 
and He delivereth them 
out of their distress. He 
maketh the storm a calm, 
so that the waves thereof 
are still. Then are they 
glad because they be quiet, 
and so He bringeth them 
unto their desired haven. 
Ps. cvii. 28—30. 

1 Perceive ye not yet, 
neither understand? Have 
ye your heart yet harden- 
ed? Mark viii. 17. 

m And we believe and 
are sure that Thou art that 
Christ, the Son of the 
living God. John vi. 69. 

Thou art the Christ, 
the Son of God, which 
should come into the 
world. John xi. 27. 



u And the whole multi- 
tude sought to touch Him; 
for there went \irtue out 
of Him and healed them 
all. Luke vi. 19. 



And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he 
walked, at first steadily, on the water to go to Jesus. But 
soon, when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid ; (5) 
his faith in his Masters power began to stagger, and at 
length utterly failed him ; and beginning to sink, he cried 
out to Jesus, saying, Lord, save me. h And immediately 
Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught him, and said 
unto him, O thou of little faith; when I was near at hand and 
had promised to be with thee, wherefore didst thou doubt? 1 

And He went up with Peter unto them into the ship. 
And when they were come into the ship, they on board 
willingly [cordially) received Him ; and the wind now 
lulled and ceased, and immediately [soon, Gr.) the ship 
was at the point of the land (6) whither they went k {were 
bound for). And they were sore amazed in themselves 
beyond measure, and wondered: for they considered not 
the still greater miracle of the loaves — that the same 
Almighty power ivhich created bread in the ivilderness, 
could enable the possessor of that power to tread upon the 
waves of the sea ; for their heart was as it were hardened, 1 
so slow were they of understanding. Then they that were 
in the ship {the boatmen) came and worshipped Him, 
saying, Of a truth Thou art what Thou claimest to be, the 
Son of God ! m 

And when they were thus miraculously gone over the 
lake, they came into the land of Gennesaret, within which 
district Capernaum stood ; and finding a landing-place, they 
drew the ship to the shore. And when they were come 
out of the ship, straightway they who were standing upon 
the shore knew Him. And when the men of that place 
{the inhabitants generally) had knowledge of Him {of His 
arrival), they sent out messengers, and ran through that 
whole region round about looking for Him ; and began to 
carry about in beds those that were sick, and brought 
unto Him all that were diseased, where they heard He 
was. And whithersoever He entered, — into cities, or vil- 
lages, or country, — they laid the sick in the streets through 
which He passed, and besought Him that they might 
touch 11 if it were but the border of His garment ; and as 
many as touched Him, or any part of His dress, and had 
faith in His power to heal their disorders, were made per- 
fectly whole. 



( 5 ) He was afraid. ] Peter's natural character 
appears to have been a mixture of boldness and 
weakness, of sincerity and irresolution. The 
earnest zeal and courageous confidence, which 
afterwards fitted him to be so main a pillar of 
the infant Church, were not required on this 
occasion, and the display of them was followed 
by a check and a reproof. 



( 6 ) Immediately the ship was at the land.'] It 
would seem that the circumstance of the pas- 
sage terminating so soon was equally miraculous 
with the cessation of the storm and the walking 
on the sea ; for when Jesus appeared, they were 
only half way (or about four miles from the 
desert), and the lake in that part of it must have 
been at least eight miles across. 



157 



SECTION LXIII. 

Jesus delivers the sublime discourse of eating His flesh and 
drinking His blood; after which many of His disciples 
leave Him, but it elicits a confession of adherence from 
the Twelve. 

John vi. 22 — 71 ; vii. 1. 



THE day following that on which the multitude had been 
miraculously fed, when the people, which stood (yet 
remained) on the other side of the sea, saw that there was 
none other boat there, save that one whereinto His disci- 
ples on the previous night were entered, and knew that 
Jesus went not with His disciples into the boat, but that 
His disciples were gone- away alone; (Howbeit there came 
other boats afterwards, from Tiberias, nigh unto the place 
where they did eat bread after that the Lord had given 
thanks) : When the people therefore saw that Jesus was 
not there, neither His disciples, they also took shipping, as 
many of them as could be conveyed in the boats, and came 
to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus at His accustomed abode 
there. And when they had found Him on the other side 
of the sea, teaching in the synagogue of that place? they 
said unto Him, with much astonishment, Rabbi, when 
earnest Thou hither, — for Thou iventest not back last night 
with Thy disciples, nor could we find Thee this morning in 
the desert ? 

But without noticing a question of mere curiosity which 
would tend nothing to their edification, Jesus answered 
them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, 
not because ye saw the miracles and were so convinced of 
My power as to desire the greater welfare of your souls ; 
but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Your 
thoughts and ivishes continue carnal ; but I declare unto you 
that true happiness consists not in any earthly things: 
Labour not chiefly for the meat which perisheth, and 
which can only for a time support your mortal part ; but 
labour rather for that true meat, b that provision for the 
soul, which can invigorate indeed and endureth unto ever- 
lasting life — which upon your faith and allegiance the Son 
of man shall give unto you ; for Him hath God the Father 
sealed 0 M (commissioned) for this purpose. Then said they 
unto Him, We have the Law of Moses as our guide ; what 



a These things said He 
in the Synagogue as He 
taught in Capernaum. 
John vi. 59. 

b I have esteemed the 
words of His mouth more 
than my necessary food. 
Job xxiii. 12. 

Come eat of my bread, 
and go in the way of un- 
derstanding. Prov. ix. 5, 
6. 

Wherefore do ye spend 
money for that which 
is not bread, and your 
labour for that which sa- 
tisfieth not ? Hearken 
diligently unto me, and 
eat ye that which is good, 
and let your soul delight 
itself in fatness. Incline 
your ear and come unto 
Me ; hear, and your soul 
shall live. Isa. lv. 2, 3. 

Thy words were found, 
and I did eat them. Jer. 
xv. 16. 

Set your affections on 
things above, not on things 
on the earth. Col. iii. 2. 

Ye have need that one 
teach you again which be 
the hrst principles of the 
Oracles of God, and are 
become such as have need 
of milk, and not of strong 
meat. Heb. v. 12. 

c He that hath received 
His testimony hath set to 
his seal that God is true. 
John iii. 33. 

The Father that sent 
Me beareth witness of Me. 
John viii. 18. 

— a Man approved of God 
among you, by miracles, 
and wonders, and signs, 
which God did by Him in 
the midst of you. Acts ii. 
22. 

The foundation of God 
standeth sure, having this 
seal, The Lord knoweth 
them that are His. 2 Tim. 
ii. 19. 



0) Him hath God the Father sealed.] "To 
seal" is a general phrase for authorizing by proper 
credentials, whatever be the purpose for which they 
are given. We seal the deed which we ratify 
and accredit as our own, and by which we mean 
to stand. So a person is marked out as wholly 



devoted to the service of him whose seal he benrs. 
By supernatural works, and also by the Voice 
which repeatedly bore Him testimony (see Matt, 
iii. 1/; xvii. 5), and by the anointing with the 
Spirit above measure (see John iii. 34), God had 
set His seal to Jesus as His Son. 



158 THE DISCOURSE OF THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN. 

further shall we do that we might work the works of God, 
and execute what He requires and approves? Jesus an- 
swered and said unto them, This is the work, above all 
others most pleasing in the sight of God, that ye believe 
* And this is His com- from the heart on Him whom He hath sent, d proving the 

mandineni,That we should . . - 777. 

believe on the name of sincerity of your faith by your holy lives. 
John^s! 5118 ChllSt * 1 They among the company assembled who had not wit- 
nessed the recent miracle of the loaves, said therefore unto 
e Then certain of the Him, (2 ) What si°:n e showest thou then, that we may see and 

Scribes and Pharisees an- 

severed, saying, Master, believe thee ? what dost thou work more than others ? 
See. W °Matt. e liiss. fr ° m Thou dost not even give a sign of thy commission equal to 
si^° r t Cor W i S> quire a that displayed by Moses. It is said, indeed, that thou hast 
fed some thousands for a single day with ordinary food ; 
but our fathers, — in number more than two millions, and 
while in the Great Desert for the space of forty years, — did 
eat manna, ivhich was heavenly food ; as it is written, He 

GAVE THEM BREAD FROM HEAVEN TO EAT {see Ps. 

lxxviii. 24). Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I 
th f An ^ } Moses t s j aid nnt ^ sa Y unto y 0VL 3 Moses gave you not that bread from hea- 
which the Lord hath ven,^— for God was the true Giver of it, from whose firma- 
gh-enyou to ea t. Exod. mmt if thaf u migU nourish the hody for a little time; 

e Our fathers did all eat ^ atner now giveth you, from the highest Heaven, 

tb !j ^ t ™ e 11 spi ^ itaal meat ' ^ e r ^ rue Bread,s of which that manna was but a type. 
spiritual drink; for they For the Bread of God, which may indeed be denominated 

Roc? that fSiowed^tfi'm such 171 the most su ^ me sense, is He which cometh down 
and that Rock was Christ, from Heaven, h W—from the place ivhere He was before ; and 

giveth, not temporal benefit to one particular nation, but 
see lle^SonVf manas^ everlasting life unto the whole world. Then said they unto 
before 1 ? john^i*^* ^ Him, — still misapprehending His words, — Lord, evermore 

give us this bread, that our lives may be preserved conti- 

i Jesus saith, I am the 0 „ . _ 7 , 17 . 7 ,/ \ T , 

Life : no man cometh unto nually . And J esus then said plainly unto them, 1 am the 
Jo e hn F x?T! e 6. but by Me ' Bread of Life,* ^ of which you must spiritually eat in order 



( 2 ) They said therefore unto Him.'] This was 
a mixed company ; and those who here demand 
a sign, can hardly be the same parties who had 
witnessed the miracle of the loaves, and had 
already declared their belief in Him — unless we 
suppose that their admiration had died away, and 
suspicions had arisen, because He now said no- 
thing congenial with their carnal expectations. 
There were evidently others present, and the 
Evangelist subsequently states that they differed, 
and " strove amongst themselves." The whole 
of this highly figurative discourse is expressed 
with extreme brevity, and the substance only 
appears to be given. 

( 3 ) From heaven.] The original word often 
denotes only that region in which the clouds are, 
and so it is translated in the Common Version at 
Matt. iii. 16; xvi. 3, and elsewhere. 

( 4 ) He which cometh down from Heaven.] 
The Unitarians and others say that Christ de- 
scended from above only like every good and 
perfect gift (James i. 17). But it is evident that 
the Jews here understood Him to speak in a real 
sense, for they are presently described as mur- 



muring at His words, and objecting His earthly 
parentage. This they could not have done, if 
they had understood Him only in the sense in 
which all their prophets must be allowed to have 
been commissioned from heaven. He who was 
" more than a prophet" is spoken of by our Lord 
as having his authority from heaven (see Matt, 
xxi. 25) ; yet the Baptist makes this express dis- 
tinction between Christ and himself, that he was 
" of the earth," while Christ had came " from 
heaven," and was "above all" (see John iii. 31). 

( 5 ) / am the Bread of Life.] Eating and 
Drinking were figures commonly used among the 
J ews for receiving and imbibing doctrine. Upon 
a former occasion Jesus had employed the meta- 
phor of water to describe the refreshment with 
which, through the Spirit, He would invigorate 
the soul (see Section XXVI., Note 4). The 
preceding miracle of the Loaves, with the allusion 
made to the Manna in this discourse, furnishes 
Him with another illustration leading to a like 
purpose. He is the Water of Life, and He is 
the Bread of Life ; and as those chief sources of 
nutriment are needful to the body, so Christ is 



THE DISCOURSE OF THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN. 



159 



to be saved: I am the Author of that heavenly doctrine k Whosoever urinketh 
ivhich nourishes the soul, and can alone preserve it from J^iSj^^S I £?et 
destruction : he that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and 5™**. b ? fc t ? ie 

° 7 1 shall give him, shall be 

he that believeth on Me shall never thirst k — -for every m him a well ot, water 
desire of his soul shall be amply satisfied. iSfo^fe. UP j©im iv? 14; 

But I said unto you before, that ye also have seen Me— Th ^ v ^ ^s er no 

J J 5 J more, neither thirst any 

ye have witnessed My miracles confirming the truth of what more - Rev - vii- 16. 
/ say ; ye have actually beheld that Bread of Life—and 1 i have manifested 

yet ye believe not ! But though such be the case ivith you, Sfch^hou^gavest ™ie 

My labour will not be entirely in vain : all that the ° ut of the ™ rld ; ™* e 

° m v they were and Thou 

Father giveth to Me, shall come to Me; 1 (6) all that are con- gavest them Me.. ..They 

7 7 -m r . 7 y ,7 7- 7, • have known surely that I 

vmcea by My miracles, ana are honestly disposed to receive cam e out from Thee, and 

the Truth, shall be endued with strength to place their con- ThoudidstsendMf. jSS 

fidence in Me : and him that so cometh to Me, I will in xvii. 6, a 

no wise (by no means) cast out. m How indeed should I m Let the Tvicked forsake 

reject such suppliants? for I came down from Heaven for teour a man n bi?thoughtsi 

this express purpose of Salvation : not to further any views ^L^d^He^ilihave 

of My own, or to do Mine own will merely, u but also to do mercy on Mm, and to our 

the will and seek the glory of Him that sent Me. 0 And ^ly pardon, 'isa.iv.y] 

this is the Father's will which hath sent Me, That of all T^onf ™to Me ail ye 

7 that labour and are heavy 

laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. xi. 28. — And he said unto Jesus, Lord remember me, when Thou comest 
into Thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with Me in paradise. 
Luke sxiii. 42, 43. — This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners. 1 Tiin. i. 15. — Let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will let him take the water of 
life freely. Rev. xxti. 17. 

n There came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. Matt. vm. 2. 

0 Then said I, Lo I come : in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God. 
Ps. xl. 7, 8. — O My Father, not as I will, but as Thou wilt. Matt. xxvi. 39. — Jesus saith unto them, My meat is 
to do the will of Him that sent Me. John iv. 34. — I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father 
which hath sent Me. John v. 30. 



as water and as bread to the soul — but with 
this important difference, that water and bread 
furnish but a temporary supply, which is soon 
exhausted, while He furnishes that strength to 
the soul which shall never fail it, whether in 
time or in eternity. It is this spiritual food 
which gives vigour to man for the appointed time 
of his earthly journey ; it feeds him when earthly 
food can no longer sustain his body, — in the 
hour of sickness and of death ; it will be life to 
the disembodied spirit when it leaves its earthly 
tenement ; and it will be life to that body which 
shall be raised incorruptible at the last day. 

( 6 ) All that the Father giveth to Me shall come 
to Me.~\ The import of these words seems, 
from other parts of Scripture, to be plainly this : 
— Those that are disposed to become Christ's 
disciples, and close with the offer of a Redeemer, 
upon His being proposed and revealed to them, 
are those whom God " gives to Christ ; " and 
none will be rejected by the Saviour who truly 
repent, and unfeignedly believe in Him. These 
are the honest hearts of whom He declares, that 
they are " not far from the kingdom of God," 
and that " of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." 

That to be "given of the Father,'''' cannot here 
signify to be absolutely chosen to eternal life (as 
the Calvinist argues), appears evident. It would 
be preposterous to suppose that such a doctrine, 
even if true, would be promulgated at such a 
time, and under such circumstances. And can 
we suppose that our Lord would thus impute to 



the Jews, as their great sin, what it was impos- 
sible for them to do, unless they were absolutely 
chosen to eternal life ? The reason of their 
" not coming to Him" is plainly enough given 
elsewhere by this Evangelist : they " hated the 
light, and would not come to it because their 
deeds were evil" (John hi. 19, 20) ; they would 
not learn even of Moses, and " had not the Word 
of God abiding in them" (v. 38, 46) ; because 
they had no love of God in them (v. 42) ; be- 
cause they preferred the praise of men (v. 44), 
and were of their father the devil (viii. 44); be- 
cause Jesus told them the truth (viii. 45), and 
lastly, for the reason alluded to in the text, be- 
cause they were not docile, or sheep at all dis- 
posed to hear His voice (x. 26). 

That " coming to Christ" here simply means 
" believing in Him," appears from the sense in 
which the Evangelist elsewhere uses these ex- 
pressions. In the chapter preceding this they 
are identified (John y. compare ver. 40 with 38), 
and a parallelism has already occurred in this 
discourse, in which the second member of the 
sentence explains the first : " He that cometh to 
Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on 
Me shall never thirst." — It may be added, as to 
the nature of the believer's faith, that it is not 
an exclusively intellectual, nor an exclusively 
moral perception, but it is a compound of both : 
it is neither wholly passive, nor wholly opera- 
tive, but acts in some degree both as cause and 
effect. 



160 



THE DISCOURSE OF THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN. 



p Even so it is not the which He hath given Me, I should lose nothings — not 

will of your Father which ~, . ' , . . 7 . , , 

is in heaven, that one of suffering even the meanest of My disciples to perish, — but 
perLh litt iLtr^m S ^°4. ld snou ^ ra i se it {him) up again to glory and happiness at the 
Tho^e that Thou gavest Last Day. And this is also the will of Him that sent Me, 

Me I have kept, and none „. J . 1 . 1 . \ 

of them is lost but tbe son Inat every one which seeth {attentively contemplates, (jr.) 
of perdition. John xvii. the Son —discerning that He is divinely commissioned for 
. , T . , the salvation of man, — and in consequence effectually 

1 And I give unto them , . . . 

etemai life ; and they shall believeth on Him, may have everlasting life; and for 
any 6 man r pluck ^ein out that end I will raise him up at the Last Day.** ^ 
of My hand. John x. 28. THe Jews then murmured indignantly at Him, because 
' is not this the carpen- jj e SSi [A j am the Bread which came down from Heaven. 

ter's son? Is not His mo- . . . 

ther called Mary. Matt. And they said owe to another, Is not this Jesus, the son of 
Joseph, whose father and mother we know ? r how is it 
run afte^TiSe '' Son^ of tnen tnat * being °orn ^ n t° the world just as other men are, 
SoL i- 4 - he saith so presumptuously, I came down from Heaven ? 

I have loved thee with if 777.77 7 -77- 

an everlasting love: there- Jesus therefore, who knew their thoughts ana cavillings, 
wtta^le^^er! answered and said unto them, Murmur not thus among 
X3 ™: 3 - . , yourselves at My words : rather study to overcome your 

I drew them with cords J ' 

of a man,— with hands of own blind prejudices. No man indeed can come to Me by 
Iov £'if ?be imed up, will a saving faith, except the Father which hath sent Me draw 
joim xii 32 6n Unt ° Me ' nmi ; s(8) the mind being Spiritually influenced to believe, 
partly by the miraculous proofs afforded of My mission, and 

* After those davs, saith r 7 f . „ , \ » „ , , . 

the Lord, I will put My partly by its sense oj the Love of God to man, as shown in 
aMwritelun^he^hearte! ^ s many benefits, and especially in His precious promises. 
And they shall teach no And when a man thus follows where God leads, I wall raise 

more every man his neign- " m . . 

hour, and' every man his him up at the Last Day. — This is no new doctrine ; for so it is 
the^Trd : S Ti n they K s han repeatedly written in the Prophets, And they shall all, 
ail know Me, from the BE taught of God 1 w (see Isa. liv. 13) . Now, under the 

least 01 them unto the # . • 

greatest of them. jer. Dispensation of the Messiah, to which those words refer, 
XX He will teach us of His they are to be made good in a far more eminent manner. 
ways. Mic iv.2. Every man, therefore, that hath heard, and hath effectually 

xey ourselves are taught J ' - 7 M ^ 

of God to love one another, learned of the Father speaking by Me, cometh unto Me, 11 
Ye need not that any and believeth in Me. Not that any man can be immediately 
ir27 teach y ° u ' 1 J ° hn taught by, or hath ever seen the Father/ in Person, as a 

u As My Father hath taught Me, I speak these things. John viii. 28. — Whatsoever I speak therefore, even 
as the Father said unto Me, so I speak. John xii. 50. 

T Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape. John v. 37. 



( T ) I will raise Mm up at the Last Day, ] This 
being said of all who are to have everlasting life, 
(which life is only to be enjoyed in Heaven), it 
follows that none are to be raised till that day, 
and that they are not, as some have supposed, to 
reign with Christ on earth a thousand years. 

( 8 ) Except the Father which hath sent Me, 
draw him.'] This is a somewhat similar truth 
to that commented on in Note 6. It may be 
added, that God draws men by moral means, 
and by fit motives. An obscure intimation is 
here made of the future gift of the Holy Spirit, 
by whose preventing grace, and predisposing 
agency on the mind, the natural disposition is 
first gradually subdued, then the understanding 
is indirectly influenced to discern the truth, and 
at length the will obeys. But there are no irre- 
sistible impressions, nor is such superintendence 



at all compulsory. From God all holy desires 
and all good counsels do proceed, but they pro- 
ceed from Him in such a manner as still to be 
our desires and our counsels : we are drawn by the 
"cords of a man, "and the admonitions and checks 
of conscience — in a manner suitable to our rational 
nature and faculties, and requiring our own co- 
operation and consent. Thus the man who 
is not drawn by God is still left " without 
excuse." 

( 9 ) Taught of God.~\ This divine teaching is 
the work of the Trinity. It is ascribed to the 
Second and Third Persons by St. Paul, who says 
(Gal. i. 12) he was "taught by Christ," and 
(1 Cor. ii. 13) "by the Holy Ghost." St. 
John says, in another place, " the Comforter, 
which is the Holy Ghost, He shall teach you all 
things" (ch. xiv. 26). See Section LIX., Note 6. 



THE DISCOURSE OF THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN. 



161 



scholar sees his teacher, or a man would converse with his 
friend : such a privilege none can claim save He which is 
the only begotten Son of God ; He alone hath seen and in- 
timately known the will of the Father. w Verily, verily, I w Neither knoweth any 

° . 777 • , • • , /. ,7 . • mau the Father, save the 

say unto you again, ana declare it in virtue oj that union son, and he to whomso- 
andMy complete knowledge of the Father's will, He that mm^Z^li^ 
believeth on Me hath the promise of everlasting life. I am at ^° 3 " an ^J} 1 seei ] Gud 
that Bread of Life upon ivhich you must spiritually feed: gotten Son, which is in 
I come to you, not only in the capacity of a Messenger from He^at™ diw^m! 
God, teaching Eternal Truth to men, but as your Great John 1 1S - 
Redeemer. Your fathers did indeed, as you say, eat manna x Your^ fathers, where 
in the wilderness; and yet they are dead, x — many of them JhetsTdo they iive P for 
spiritually dead, as unbelievers, and perishing in their ever? Zech l - 5 - 
sins, and all of them naturally dead, because the car- 
nal food of manna could neither permanently preserve nor 
restore life : but this, of which I speak, is the True Bread 
which cometh down from Heaven, and which is of 
such a nature that a man may spiritually eat thereof 
and not die eternally. Therefore I plainly tell you again, — r Wherefore when He 
and it is the Truth, incredible as you may deem it, — I, saith, Sacrhw^dofer! 
Jesus of Nazareth, am the Living {Life-giving) Bread which hastThouprepMed 
came down from Heaven itself: if any man eat of (feed Me. Heb. x. 5. 
.upon) this bread, he shall by virtue of such heavenly which h7 hath 'coSeci-Z 
nourishment, although he die in the body, live again for ^ io ^\ His 
ever; and the Bread that I will give is My fleshy 10 ) which, &e &. Heb. x. so/' 
by dying in My human nature, I will give as an Atoning 
Sacrifice for the life of the whole world, 2 

The Jews, therefore, ivho ivould not understand the doc- 
trine of Jesus, now strove (had an altercation) among them- 
selves^ saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat? 
Then Jesus, perceiving that they needed candour rather than 
the power of comprehension, entered into no further eocplana- 



z He is the propitiation 
for our sins, and not for 
ours only, hut also for the 
sins of the whole world. 
1 John ii. 2. 

a So there was a divi- 
sion among the people he- 
cause of Him. John vib 
43. 



b Being now justified 



tions, but solemnly repeated His words with still stronger by His blood, we shall be 

,. j .j T7-M -it l saved from wrath through 

asseveration, ana said unto them, Verily, verily 1 say unto Him. Rom. 

you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink dem p^ c 



v. 9. 

In whom we have re- 
through His 

His blood b (n ) — except ye spiritually feed upon the Saviour, blood, the forgiveness of 

sins. Eph. i. 7. 



( 10 ) And the Bread that I will give is My 
flesh.'] Although this is the third time of our 
Lord's calling Himself the Bread of Life in this 
discourse, it is not mere repetition, though that 
would have the desired effect of impressing His 
hearers. A beautiful gradation may be ob- 
served : the first time He assigns the reason of 
the expression more obscurely, — that it shall 
prevent the hunger and thirst of the soul; the 
second time more plainly, that His doctrine shall 
be the cause of everlasting life, since He is the 
only Teacher that had seen and known the 
Father ; and on this, the third occasion, He calls 
Himself the Living Bread, because He woidd, by 
His death, obtain the power of bestowing life. 
In the mention of His flesh, we have a plain re- 
ference to the Great Sacrifice upon the Cross, and 
the Atonement through His Blood. In the ori- 



ginal language employed by our Lord, the tran- 
sition from bread to flesh would be less harsh 
than in ours, — the word laham, like the English 
meat, being used for both. 

( u ) Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, 
and drink His blood, <|c] The universality of 
the language in this discourse prevents our 
positively interpreting it of Sacramental feeding. 
The Lord's Supper, not being as yet instituted, 
could not then be received by our Lord's hearers, 
and at least some few of those present would not 
be alive at its institution. It is also said that 
he who eats thft flesh, and drinks the biood of 
Christ, " abides in Christ, and Christ in Him," 
thus becoming a true and living member of 
Christ's body: but this cannot apply to all; for 
recipients of the Holy Communion have fallen into 
such heinous sin that thev are (we must conclude) 

M 



[62 



JESUS DISCOURSES OF EATING HIS FLESH. 



believing in the efficacy of His death as the Great Atoning 
Sacrifice, hereafter to be solemnly shown forth by a per- 
petual commemoration until His coming again, ye have no 
life at all in you ; ye have no spiritual life at present, nor 
can you have any right to Life Eternal. But whoso thus 
eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, assuredly hath an 
interest in Eternal Life,, and I will raise him up at the Last 
Day to enjoy it. For My flesh is meat indeed^ and My 
blood is drink indeed — they are truly nourishment, and 
they alone deserve the name. For he that thus eateth My 
flesh and drinketh My blood, dwelleth (abideth) in Me 5 
c Abide in Me and i in anc [ I i n him : c there is thencefomvard an intimate union 

you. As the branch can- . 777. 7 • 7 /»-■*- 

not bear fruit of itself, ex- betwixt us; the believer becoming a member oj My body by 
no P more b can "e uoeptye rece ' iv ^ n ff Me, and partaking with Me of life and immor- 
abide in Me. John xv. f a my y and I communicating blessings to him through the 
That they ail may be Holy Spirit. As the Living Father [the Father who liveth 
in Me 'and i° in The" that f or ever, and the great Source of all life) hath sent Me into 

us' 7 JoL m x4 b 2i.°" e in the WGrId > and 1 live in U as Mediator, by {through the 
Whomever shall con- care of) the Father ; so he that eateth Me, and by faith 

of God, God dwelleth in dwelleth in Me, even he shall live eternally by [through) Me. 

johni'^is 6 m G ° d ' 1 V t^n, in conclusion, you value the welfare of your souls, 
never forget this solemn truth, which I once more repeat for 
your consideration :— This is that Bread which came down 
from Heaven (12) for your spiritual nourishment; not as 



lost, and it is still eaten by many wicked per- | 
sons. Our Lord Himself also declares His 
speech to be only metaphorical ; " The words 
that I speak uuto you, they are spirit and 
they are life." And Peter, instead of now 
promising that he would faithfully participate 
in the solemn Rite afterwards so expressly 
enjoined, simply makes the confession, "We 
believe that Thou art the Christ." — It appears 
that, for the first four Centuries, both in the 
Greek and Latin Churches, this chapter was not 
generally interpreted of the Eucharist. Clemens 
of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Eusebius, 
Athanasius, St. Austin, and Jerome, all concur 
that our Lord is, by way of allegory, to those 
that believe in Him, meat and flesh, and nou- 
rishment and bread, and blood. 

But though we cannot interpret these words 
directly of the Holy Communion, every candid 
thinker must allow that our Lord may be sup- 
posed to allude to the future commemoration of 
His death, and prophetically to intimate the 
great and blessed advantages to be derived from 
this the most solemn participation of His passion. 
Unquestionably our own Church has applied the 
words to explain the nature of the Eucharist, 
and to excite to a reception of it ; for in no other 
part of Scripture than this chapter of St. John 
can Ave find those words which she has incor- 
porated into her Service. — " Grant us, therefore, 
gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son, 
Jesus Christ, and to drink His blood, that . . . 
we may evermore dwell in Him, and He in 
us" {tee John vi. 56). Hooker has expressly 
quoted St. John's words as applicable to this 
Sacrament. A further argument for suppo.-ing 
the Lord's Supper to be here alluded to, is the fact 



that St. John supplies what the rest omit (more 
especially as to doctrine), and generally omits 
what they contain. Thus Matthew and Mark 
give an account of the institution of the other 
Sacrament of Baptism ; but as their Gospels do 
not record any expls nation by our Lord of the 
meaning and value of that Sacrament, St. John, 
(though omitting all mention of its institution), 
evidently lays before us its doctrinal meaning in a 
very early discourse with Nicodemus on the sub- 
ject. In like manner, it is urged that, as the rest 
give an account of the institution of the Lord's 
Supper, St. John omits it, but enlarges, which 
they omit to do, upon its saving efficacy. The 
similarity of form in our Lord's emphatic and 
summary words on each occasion is also worthy 
notice. (Compare John iii. 5, with John vi. 53.) 

( 12 ) This is that Bread which came down from 
Heaven.'] Thus, with a confident repetition of 
the same vital truth, our Lord concludes one of 
the sublimest of His discourses. Though, as re- 
corded, it is remarkable for brevity and figura- 
tive expression, a depen dance and coherence 
may be observed throughout. The multitude 
follow Him for loaves, and He bids them ra- 
ther seek that food which will endure (namely, 
His doctrine). They ask Him the way to 
do tins, and He replies, by believing in Him. 
Some who are present then call for a sign 
to justify such belief, and remind Him of the 
manna their Lawgiver had brought from hea- 
ven. He then compares Himself with manna 
or bread, showing that that was only a tempo- 
rary support of the body, while He would bestow 
on the soul what would prevent hunger or tiiirst 
any more. Upon the Jews murmuring at this, 
He again and again repeats the same trutn 



SOME OF THE DISCIPLES MURMUR AT HIS DOCTRINE. 



163 



your fathers did eat manna, and yet are dead, for it pro- 
fited them nothing beyond the term of this life ; but he that 
eateth of this Bread shall live for ever. d 

These things said He openly in the synagogue as He 
taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of His disciples, 
when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying (13) 
(an offensive doctrine) ; who can hear it patiently ? — When 
Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples murmured at it, 
He said unto them, e Doth this discourse of the Bread of Life 
coming down from Heaven, and of the necessity of being nou- 
rished by it, offend you ? What and if (What would ye say 
if) ye shall see, — as some here present ivill be permitted to 
see, — the Son of man ascend up to His origi n al dwelling-place 
in the bosom of the Father, where He was before ? f You 
would then see how gross your error now is ; for you could 
not feed upon Him in that carnal sense in which you have 
chosen to understand My ivords. Know that it is the spirit 
that quickeneth (14) (giveth life)-, the flesh profiteth nothings 
to the real wants of man : the words and doctrines that I 
speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life (they are 
truly spiritual and life-giving). But there are some of you, 
professing to be My disciples, that in your hearts believe 
not. — This He said, for Jesus knew from the beginning of 
His Ministry who they were that believed not, h and who he 
was that at last should betray Him. 1 And He said further, 
Therefore, — because the prejudices of the natural man are so 
strong, — it was that I said unto you, That no man can 
come unto Me, except it were given unto him of My 
Father, and Divine Grace co-operating with an honest and 
good heart lead him to close with the offer of his salvation. 

From that time many of His disciples went back k 
(forsook Him), and walked (continued) no more with Him. 
Then said Jesus, — as intimating unto the Twelve that He 
wished for no reluctant followers, — Will ye also go away? 
Then Simon Peter, with his accustomed forwardness and 



d For as in Adam all 
die, even so in Christ 
shall all be made alive. 
1 Cor. xv. 22. 

e The cause that is too 
hard for you, bring it un- 
to Me, and I will hear it. 
Deut. i. 17. 

f No man hath ascended 
up to heaven, but He that 
came down from heaven, 
even the Son of man 
which is in heaven. John 
hi. 13. 

And now, O Father, 
glorify Thou Me with 
Thine own self with the 
glory which I had with 
Thee before the worldwas. 
John xvii. 5. 

And when He had spo- 
ken these things, while 
they beheld, He was taken 
up and a cloud received 
Him out of their sight. 
Acts i. 9. 

He that descended is 
the same also that as- 
cended up far above all 
heavens. Eph. iv. 10. 

g The letter killeth, but 
the spirit giveth life. 2 Cor. 
hi. 6. 

k He knew all men, and 
needed not that any should 
testify of man, for He 
knew what was in man. 
John ii. 24, 25. 

The Lord knoweth 
them that are His. 2 Tim. 
H.19. 

1 For He knew who 
should betray Him: there- 
fore said He, Ye are not 
all clean. John xiii. 11. 

k They have provoked 
the Holy One of Israel 
unto anger ; they are gone 
away backward; Isa. i. 
4. 

If any man draw back, 
My soul shall have no 
pleasure in him. Heb. 
x. 38. 



(varying it with some additional explanation, as 
shown at Note 10). Upon their continued obsti- 
nacy and cavilling, He does not condescend to 
explain further, once more only confidently 
summing up in reply. 

The whole teaches us, that the despised Jesus 
of Nazareth is the food of our souls — that Faith 
is the feeding on this spiritual food, and the 
turning it into nourishment. This it is to eat 
His flesh and drink His blood, without which 
we have no life in us. And whatever be the 
differences on collateral points, all must concur in 
this: that whether before Christ or since, whe- 
ther in covenant or out of covenant, wdi ether in 
the Sacraments or out of the Sacraments, no 
man ever was, or ever will be accepted, but in 
and through the great Propitiation made by the 
blood of Christ. His Passion is our redemption, 
and by His Death we live. 

( ■ ) An hard saying.] Our Lord's hearers 



understood him literally; and to eat flesh, or 
drink blood, was not only forbidden by the Law 
of Moses, but repugnant to the customs of all 
civilized nations. But it may be observed, that 
also in its true and spiritual sense this has ever 
be.en tC an hard saying." The natural man is 
offended at being told of his own wickedness, and 
the absolute necessity of a Saviour; and like 
these weak disciples who fell away, multitudes 
in every age and country have "gone back" 
on the very first proposal of the doctrine of the 
Cross. 

( 14 ) It is the spirit that quickeneth.~] Much 
has been urged for interpreting this of The Holy 
Spirit, and the text Rom. viii. 11 carries con- 
siderable weight ; but the explanation of 
" spirit," as opposed to flesh, or to the letter, is 
more agreeable to the context ; it is also more 
supported by parallel passages, and is now 
generally allowed bv the best authorities. 

M 2 



164 THE APOSTLES ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS AS THE MESSIAH. 

ardour, answered Him for them all, and said, Lord, to 
whom shall we go if we repose not our trust in Thee? 
Thou alone hast the words of Eternal Life ; and, whoever 
else may forsake Thee, we firmly believe, and are sure, that 
Thou art that Christ, even the expected Messiah, the Son 
i she saith unto Him, of the Living God. 1 — This confession of His faithful fob- 
Thou^'the^hrist^e lowers ivas noble an I dutiful in the extreme; but, in order 
Son of God, which should to check any presumptuous self-confidence, Jesus answered 

come into the world. tf tr Jr «/ t/ ? 

John xi. 27. them, Have I not chosen you [appointed you to the dignity 

m And when He had of Apostles), twelve only in number ? and yet one of vou 
fejiTfcSyS onto/ so few is a devil - {one who, under 'the influence' of 
son of Simon. And after ^he maliqnant spirit, will prove an adversary and apostate) . 

the sop Satan entered into « 7 r * . , ' 

him. John xiii. 26, 27. — He spake [meant) this of Judas Iscanot, the son of 
bufZson of perdition? Simon; for he it was that should {would) betray Him, 
John xvii. 12. being one of the twelve. 

After these things Jesus walked [sojourned) in Galilee: 
for He would not walk in Jewry [Judea), because the chief 
priests and others of the Jews there sought to kill Him. 



SECTION LXIV. 

Jesus condemns the Pharisees for keeping their own traditions 
to the neglect of the dlvine law. 

Matt. xv. 1—20. Mark vii. 1—23. 



a And whomsoever he 
toucheth that hath the 
issue, and hath not rinsed 
his hands in water, he 
shall wash his clothes and 
bathe himself in water, 
and he unclean until the 
even. Lev. xv. 11. 



T'SIEX came together unto Jesus at Capernaum, in order 
to watch Him, the Pharisees and certain of the Scribes 
which were of Jerusalem (i) [which came from Jerusalem, 
Mark]. And when they saw some of His disciples eat 
bread with what they considered denied (that is to say, 
unwashen) hands, they found fault with them for so doing. 
For the Pharisees and all the Jews, — saving only the Sad- 
ducees and a few others, — except they wash their hands 
oft a (2) [use the most diligent care in cleansing them), eat not, 
holding the tradition of the Elders ' 3) [those oral precepts 



( ] ) Which were of Jerusalem.] These must 
have been the learned men of that city, as 
we should commonly say, for distinction, " of 
Oxford," or any other seat of learning. They 
do not appear to have been deputed by the San- 
hedrim, but were probably heads of the schools 
among the Pharisees. 

(/Q Except they wash their hands oft.'] This 
explanation is added by St. Mark, his Gospel 
being intended for many who were strangers to 
Jewish customs. The original word here ren- 
dered oft is a free translation, and merely 
notes the fact that the Pharisees had some rule 
about washing which they observed strictly : 
the literal signification particularly shows that 
they used the fist, or the hand contracted, and 
thus took up a handful of water, with which they 



rinsed the hands, in order to comply with the 
ceremony of ablution (see Lev. xv. II). 

( 3 ) The tradition of the Elders.] It w r as the 
business of the teachers of the people (the more 
aged and eminent of whom were called Elders), 
to explain what was doubtful in the Law; but 
after time and long reverence had confirmed their 
authority, they raised their traditions above the 
Written Law. At length they formed the idle fig- 
ment, that their traditions were delivered by God to 
Moses on Mount Sinai, together with the Written 
Law ; that they came down through the Pro- 
phets to Ezra, and so to them ; and that their 
"Talmud" is a faithful collection of these very 
precepts. The following is selected out of many 
ancient sayings, showing to what a height this 
new authority was carried : — " The words of the 



THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES CONDEMNED. 



165 



which were insisted on as divine by their doctors and public b Every bed whereon 

..v.,, .-, p i .he lieth that hath the is- 

teachers). And when they come from the market, except sue is unclean; and every 
they wash by dipping their hands, or by more complete abln- J»jg b ^ e he ^°" ea ^ 
Hon, they eat not. And many other things of this kind *v. 4. 
there be, which they have received from their ancestors to c Bewai ' e lest any man 

' J » spoil you through philoso- 

hold fast and observe — such as the washing of cups and phy and vain deceit, after 

, , -j r , , ^ , 7X the tradition of men, after 

pots, brazen vessels, and ot tables D(4 ^ [or couches) on the rudiments of the world, 
which they reclined at meals. and^not after Christ. Col. 

Then the Pharisees and Scribes asked Him, Why walk which things have in- 

rr . 1 , . . , ,. , , . . , , , deed a show of wisdom in 

not Iny disciples according to the tradition ot the elders, w m worship, and hu- 
but transgress that ivhich is so strictly enjoined, for they J h f ^ n ^ c ^\*y 
wash not their hands when they eat bread ? But He honour t0 tne satisfying 

. % . 7 . . . of the flesh. Col. ii. 23. 

answered with some degree of holy indignation, and said Not giving heed to Jew- 
unto them, Notwithstanding your pretended regard to the m ents b of S men th^tum 
duties of Religion, there is much greater reason to call you from the truth. Titi.u. 
to an account: Tell Me, Why do ye also transgress, what d Honour thy father and 

. • jj 7 7j1 -l mother, which is the first 

is infinitely more sacred, the commandment or b-od, as ye commandment with pro- 

so completely do, by your earthly tradition ? Full well ye rnise " Eph> Y1 ' 2 ' 

reject {ye fairly frustrate and utterly make void) the plain teth c 1 '-g h e t d ^ M S th ?ither 

commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradi- or his mother. And ail 

■ • _ -i-, , , 7 f, the people shall sav, 

tion. c r or, — to take a case oj common occurrence among Amen: beut. xxvii. 16. 
you,— Moses commanded TGod commanded by Moses, whoso cm-seth his fa- 

° ' L a ? ther or mother, his lamp 

saying, Matt.], Honour {reverence and support) thy sbaii °e put out in ob- 

, . score darkness. Prow 

father and thy mother , ^ ' [hxod. xx. 12): and again xx. 20. 

(Eocod. xxi. 17), He that curseth (or contemneth) father or f when thou shait vow 

mother, let him die the death e (receive capital punishment) avow unto the Lord thy 

' m \ r 1 ) G . odj thon shalt not slack 

for so unnatural a crime. But ye teach a doctrine contrary to pay it; for the Lord 

. -2. t\- '• j j- j. ' thv God will surely re- 

to these Divine commands : ye say, according to your vain quire it of thee . and i t 
and sinful tradition, Whosoever shall say to his father or ^ ou l d f, 11 m thee ' 

J 7 J Deat. xxin. 21. 

mother, ivhen they appeal to him for aid, It is Corban/ (6) Vow and pay unto the 



Scribes are lovely above the words of the Law, 
for the words of the Law are weighty and light, 
but the words of the Scribes are all weighty." 
— The Jerusalem Talmud has a similar passage : 
" The words of the Elders are more desirable 
than the words of the Prophets." The same au- 
thority declares, that "to eat bread with unwashen 
hands is as bad as fornication;" to which their 
canon adds, " whosoever despiseth the washing 
of hands is worthy to be excommunicated." — 
That the modern Jews, as a body, continue to 
hold the divine authority of the Talmud (or 
Misnali), and that they recognise it as a guide in 
matters of religion, — even preferring it to the 
Written Word, — plainly appears from their 
latest authorized Catechisms. 

( 4 ) The washing of cups and pots, fyc] These 
vessels were of wood, for no earthen ones are 
here mentioned ; the latter were at once bro- 
ken, if supposed to be polluted. The brazen 
vessels were for cooking. The tables (properly 
couches, resembling our sofas) were cleansed 
lest any unclean person had sat on them. 

( 5 ) Honour thy father and thy mother. ~\ The 
Hebrew word plainly implies maintenance, as 
well as other duties (see 1 Tim. v. 3, 4, 17, 18). 



And this interpretation the Jewish canonists 
allowed — at least in theory. 

( fi ) It is Corban, fyc, fyc.~\ It does not 
follow that he who said this had in all cases 
actually consecrated his goods to sacred uses, or 
obliged himself to do so ; but only that he had 
(according to the doctrine of the Scribes) obliged 
himself by his vow not to give anything to the 
person to whom he spake. If he had once, 
though but in haste or anger, said Corban, the 
property was as solemnly to be kept from that 
person, as if it were devoted to God. Corban is 
a Syriac word, signifying "it is devoted to the 
treasury," and in practice the Pharisees made it 
a greater offence to forego the gift to the trea- 
sury, than to deny support to parents. With all 
this casuistry, it may well be supposed that there 
was frequent collusion with the priests; and 
Josephus tells us that these corrupt teachers were 
in the habit of granting or selling dispensations 
from the vow of Corban, the common fee for 
absolution being fifty shekels. The usage was 
afterwards imitated and profitably adopted by the 
Church of Rome in her dispensations and indul- 
gences. 



166 



THE SCRIBES AXD PHARISEES CONDEMNED. 



Lord vour God. Ps.lxxvi. 
11. 

Whosoever shall swear 
by the altar it is nothing; 
but whosoever shall swear 
by the gift that is upon it, 
he is guiltv. Man. xxiii. 
18. 



S Woe unto you, Scribes 
and Pharisees, hypocrites 1 
for ye make clean the out- 
side of the cup and of the 
platter, but within they 
are full of extortion and 
Matt, xxiii. 25. 



b They sit before thee 
as My people, and they 
hear thy words, but they 
will not do them. Ezek. 
xxxiii. 31. 

• O ye simple, under- 
stand wisdom, and ye 
fools, be ye of an under- 
standing heart : Hear, for 
I will speak of excellent 
things. Prov. viii. 5, 6. 

k If I wash myself in 
snow water, and make my 
hands never so clean; yet 
shalt Thou plunge me in 
the ditch, and mine own 
clothes shall abhor me. 
Job ix. 30, 31. 

I know and am per- 
suaded by the Lord Je- 
sus, that there is nothing 
unclean of itself, but to 
him that esteemeth any- 
thing to be unclean, to 
him it is unclean. Rom. 
xiv. 14. 

Unto the pure all things 
are pure ; but unto them 
that are denied and un- 
believing is nothing pur j . 
but even their mind and 
conscience is denied. Tit. 
i. 15. 

1 I am the Vine; ye 
are the branches .... If a 
man abide not in Me. he 
is cast forth as a branch 
and is withered, and men 
gather them and cast them 
into the fire and they are 
burned. John xv. 5, 6. 

I have planted, Apollos 
watered, but God gave the 
iucrease. 1 Cor. hi. 6. 



— that is to say. Be it as a gift devoted to God, by what- 
soever thou mightest be profited by me (TJiat property is 
already consecrated to holy uses, by which otherwise I might 
have contributed to your support) ; and so, whosoever, 
having once said this, shall not honour his father or his 
mother by supporting them, you say, he shall be free from 
the command and the penalty of the Law, as being bound 
by his former vow ; and ye suffer him no more to do aught 
(ye permit him to forbear doing anything) for his father or 
his mother. Thus have ye plainly made the Command- 
ment [the Word. Mark] of God of none effect, through 
vour tradition which ye have so profanely delivered to the 
people. And many such like things do ye. Ye hypo- 
crites.? well did Esaias, when speaking reproachfully of the 
Jews in his day, prophesy as it were of such as you.— for 
in all ages hypocrites are alike, — sayings as it is written 
(see Isa. xxix. 13) : This people draweth nigh unto 
Me with their mouth and honoureth Me with 

THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM Me : h 
HOWBEIT IN VAIN (to UO purpose) DO THEY WORSHIP 

Me outwardly, teaching for doctrines the com- 
mandments of men (imposing merely human injunctions 
on the conscience, as essential and necessary for obtaining the 
Divine acceptance). For, laying aside the commandment 
of God, — the duty of obedience to which is so plain, ye 
hold to the tradition of men. as in the washing of pots 
and cups; and many other such like tilings ye do, the 
performance of which has been required at your hands by 
no sufficient authority. 

And when, after His rebuke of the Pharisees, He had 
called all the people unto Him, He said unto them, Hearken 
unto Me every one of you, and seek to understand. 1 
There is nothing from without a man, that by entering 
into him, can defile him : k not that which goeth into the 
mouth, but that which being in the heart cometh out of 
the mouth — the things which come out of him — those are 
they that really defile the man. If any man have ears to 
hear these truths, let him attentively hear and seriously 
consider them. 

And when He was entered into the house, and was 
withdrawn from the people, His disciples came and asked 
Him concerning the parable, and said unto Him, Knowest 
Thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard 
this saying ? But He answered and said, / know it, but 
fear ye not what they can do: Every plant {plantation) 
which My heavenly Father hath not planted shall be 
rooted up: 1 so shall it be with these usurpers of God's 
Authority ; they jind their vain precepts shall perish toge- 
ther, and they shall be cast out of the Vineyard. Let them 



WHAT DEFILES A MAN. 



167 



alone therefore for judgment, and regard not their revilings. 
their understandings are darkened; they be blind leaders 
of the blind, and if the blind be alloived to lead the blind, 
both shall [mil) at last fall into the ditch. 

Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Declare 
[Explain) unto us this parable. And Jesus said unto 
them, Are ye also yet so without understanding (7) as to 
need further instruction in so plain a matter ? Do ye not 
yet perceive that whatsoever thing from without entereth 
into the man, it cannot defile him inwardly? Because 
whatsoever entereth in at the mouth, entereth not into 
[doth not affect) his heart, so as to raise evil affections there ; 
but it goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the 
draught, purging all meats {purifying all food by removing 
the dregs and whatever is unfitted for nutriment). And He 
said also, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth 
the man : those things which proceed out of the mouth 
must first come forth from the heart, and they defile the 
man m in the sight of God, who regarcleth inward purity alone. ,n An evil man, out of 
For from within, — out of the heart of men, — proceed evil w^brin^euiX^ tnlt 
thoughts,^ adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covet- ^ ch - is eva > for ° f 

° . . . . abundance oi the heart 

ousness (insatiable desires), wickedness, false-witness, the mouth speaketh. Luke 
deceit, lasciviousness, an evil (envious) eye, blasphemy " All "j ^ tongue is a 
(evil-speaking and calumny), pride, foolishness (levity of fae ? a ™ r ! d of "Mp^ ; 

x * ° . 7 . . so is the tongue among 

demeanour) : all these evil things come from within, and our members, that it de- 
so these are the things which defile the man; but to eat James hi? q^° 1& b ° dj ' 
with unwashen hands has in it no moral impurity, and so 
defileth not a man. It is the disposition of the mind, and 
not any external circumstance ivhatever, which is of esti- 
mation in the sight of God. 



(") Are ye also yet so without understanding ?] 
What our Lord had said appears pi? in enough, 
and to us it has been familiar from our child- 
hood, but it was new to the disciples, and, before 
the descent of the Holy Spirit, their prejudices 
rendered them dull and slow of understanding. 
They could scarcely credit what they heard, that 
a distinction of meats availed nothing, and they 
were unable to reconcile it with the customs in 
which they had so studiously been brought up (see 
Acts xxi. 21 ; Gal. i. 14). 

( 8 ) Out of the heart of men proceed evil 



thoughts, <|r.] In the enumeration of things 
which are here exemplified as defiling a man, St. 
Matthew mentions only seven ; St. Mark nearly 
twice the number, because Gentiles would be 
among his hearers, and it was proper to point to 
such other vices as were prevalent among them. 
St. Paul, writing to the Romans, has a similar, 
and still lengthier, list of the sins of the Gen- 
tiles (see Rom. i. 29 — 31). — Some consider that 
the expression of St. Mark in this list, rendered 
" lasciviousness," rather means "a love of injury," 
or "injustice." 



168 



SECTION LXV. 



Jesus retires to the border-land of Tyre and Sidon, where, 

AFTER PROVING THE FAITH OF A WOMAN OF CANAAN, He EXPELS 



A DEMON FROM HER DAUGHTER. 

Matt. xv. 21—28. Mark vii. 24- 



-30. 



a It. is the power of God 
unto salvation to every 
one that believeth ; to the 
Jew iirst, and also to the 
Greek. Rom. i. 16. 



b Go not into the way 
of the Gentiles .... but go 
rather to the lost sheep of 
the house of Israel. Matt, 
x. 5, 6. 

It was necessary that 
the Word of God should 
first have been spoken to 
you. Acts siii. 46. 

c —who are Israelites, to 
whom pertaineth the adop- 
tion, and the glory, and 
the covenants and the 
giving of the Law, and the 
service of God and the 
promises ; whose are the 
fathers, and of whom, as 
concerning the flesh, 
Christ came, who is over 
all, God blessed for ever, 
Amen. Rom. ix. 4, 5. 



AND Jesus arose and departed from thence (from 
Capernaum), into (towards) the borders of Tyre and 
Sidon, wishing for the present to avoid the malice of the 
Pharisees, whom He had so publicly rebuked. And He 
entered privately into an house,, and would have no man 
know it, lest in resorting to the heathen He should seem to 
neglect the Jews. But He could not be hid, so extensively 
had His fame spread abroad. For behold, a certain woman 
of Canaan, out of the same coasts, w T hose young daughter 
had an unclean spirit, soon heard of Him, and immediately 
came, and cried earnestly unto Him, saying, Have mercy 
on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David; my daughter is 
grievously vexed with a devil. (The woman was a 
Greek a or Gentile by religion, a Syrophoenician by 
nation) and she besought Him that He would cast 
forth the devil out of her daughter. But He, intending to 
try and exhibit her faith to those who were present, an- 
swered her not a word. 

And His disciples, wearied with her importunity, came 
and besought Him, saying, Grant her request and send 
her away, for she crieth incessantly after us, and it may 
cause us to be folloived hither by our enemies. But, that 
they, as Jeivs, might be excited to fitting gratitude, and to a 
jealousy of their birthright, He answered them, and said in 
the hearing of the woman, I am not noiv sent to work mira- 
cles for the heathen, or to preach among them, but first of 
all, I am sent unto the Jewish nation, the lost sheep of the 
house of Israeli 

Then came she nearer, and fell on her knees at His 
feet, and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, I entreat Thee, 
help me. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children 0 of 



( ] ) A Syrophcenician by nation.] This woman 
is previously called by St. Matthew a woman of 
Canaan, and here by Mark, (who writing for 
others than the Jew r s, made his matter as intelli- 
gible as possible) a Syrophoenician. Phoenicia, 
within which territory Tyre and Sidon stood, was 
comprehended in Syria, being one of its pro- 
vinces, as Pliny tells us (Lib. v. cap. 12). Canaan 
and Phoenicia were plainly the same, for "the 
Canaanites dwell by the sea" (Numb. xiii. 29), 
and the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon were a 
remnant of the ancient Canaanites, and are eo 



named (see Judg. i. 31, 32; Isa. xxiii. 8, 11, 
with the Marginal reference to the latter verse). 
— We must not conclude that this woman was a 
proselyte, for although she calls our Lord the Son 
of David, she might have learned that appella- 
tion, as a title of respect, from Jews. Neither 
are we to suppose her an idolatress, for there 
were many Gentiles (such as Cornelius and 
Lydia) who believed in one true God, and pro- 
bably expected a Messiah, though not professing 
Judaism. 



THE WOMAN OF CANAAN REWARDED IN THE CURE OF HER DAUGHTER. 169 



the Kingdom first be filled ; for it is not meet (it is unseemly) 
to take the children's bread, and to cast it without unto the 
dogs/ 2 ) as the Jews are apt to designate you Gentiles. And 
to this she meekly answered and said unto Him, Truth, 
Lord, the best food is not for such as we are ; yet even the 
dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs which fall 
from their master's table : permit us then to become members 
of Thy household, in a station however inferior; and after 
Thy transcendent mercies have been vouchsafed to others, 
graciously reserve some small portion of favour for us. 
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great 
is thy faith — greater indeed than I have yet seen in Israel : in 
reward for this saying, bespeaking such true humility and 
trustful confidence, go thy way in peace, and be it unto thee 
even as thou wilt d (as thou desirest) : the devil is already <» h 6 will fulfil the de- 

. n 4. n j-i .„ 1 „ sire of them that fear Him; 

gone out of thy daughter. He also will hear ^ 

And accordingly her daughter was made perfectly j V (j n save tliem- 

whole from that very hoar. And when she was come to 
her house, she found the devil gone out of her : and her 
daughter was laid upon the bed tranquil and composed. 



SECTION LXVT. 

Upon His return through Becapolis, Jesus cures a deaf man, 
who had also an impediment in his speech. 

Matt. xv. 29. Mark vii. 31—37 

AND Jesus soon afterwards departed back again from 
thence (from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon), both on 
account of His increasing fame in that quarter, and that He 
might continue His ministry among the Jews. And He came 
nigh unto the more retired regions lying along the sea of 
Galilee on the east; and, passing through the midst of the 
coasts of Decapolis/ 1 ) He went up into a mountain, and 
sat down there. — It was in this same region that the Gada- 
rene, formerly dispossessed of the Legion, had made known 
what great things the Lord Jesus had done for him ; and on 
the present occasion the inhabitants received Him gladly. 

And they bring unto Him one that was deaf, and had 
also an impediment in his speech (being a stammerer, or 
tongue-tied) ; and they beseech Him to put His hand 
upon him, as the prophets of old had been accustomed to 
do, that so he might be cured of these defects. 



( 8 ) Unto the dogs.} Our Lord by no means 
lends His sanction to the propriety of an abu- 
sive term adopted by the Jews ; who, calling 
themselves God's sons and daughters, likened all 
the other nations of the world to dogs. The 
event showed that our Lord regarded the woman 



with a very different feeling. The reminding 
her that He, of whom she asked this favour, was 
one of those who vilified her race, was useful as 

a trial of her faith. 

(') The coasts of Decapolis.] See Section 
LI V., Note 1. 



170 



THE DEAF AND DUMB MAN HEALED. 



And, to avoid interruption. He took him aside from the 
multitude ; and, making use of symbolical actions, — since the 
deaf man could not comprehend His intention by words, — 
He first put His fingers into his ears, (2) and then He spit 
(moistened His finger), and touched his tongue : and, look- 
ing up to heaven, that He might direct the man's attention 
towards the Great Giver of speech and hearing, He sighed a 
• And when He was i n sympathy ivith such calamities of life* and saith unto 

come near, He beheld the * , , , . J J 9 

city and wept over it. him, Ji<phphatha — that is, Let thine ears be opened 
Lu when'jtius therefore and perform their proper functions. And straightway 
saw her weeping, and the (i mme diately upon the uttering of the word ) his ears were 

Jews also weeping which v u x ^ . 

came with her, He groan- opened, and the string of his tongue, which before had 

ed in the spirit and was 7 . , 7 ,.. , . 7 , , 

troubled. John xi. 33. hindered his speaking in an articulate manner, was loosed, 

We have not an High an( j he g ^ e } am> 
Priest which cannot be r i 

touched with the feeling of And He charged them ivho had witnessed the miracle, 
ouri mines. . . they should tell no man what had been done: but 
b The ears of the deaf the more He charged them, so much the more a great 
shall be unstopped ; and ^ ea \ published it, and were beyond measure asto- 

the tongue of the dumb . . 

shall sing. isa. xxxv. nished, saying, He hath done all things well — in the 

5 ' who hath made man s manner we expected that they would be done by the pro- 

Se U dumb or deTfp^ave m ^ se ^ Messiah ; for, according to the prediction concerning 

not i the Lord? Exod. Him, He maketh both the deaf to hear and the dumb to 



iv. 11 



speak 



b 



SECTION LXVIL 

Jesus heals many, and the multitude are fed miraculously a 

second time. 

Matt. xv. 30—39. Mark viii. 1—10. 

AND great multitudes who had followed from the borders 
of Tyre and Sidon came unto Him, having with them 
those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed ^ (or mu- 
a Then the eyes of the tilated), and many others; and cast (laid) them down 

blind shall be opened, and " / 77 . 

the ears of the deaf shall at Jesus ieet, and He healed them all: insomuch that 
tTmrmtn ; iea e p n a S s ha an the multitude wondered greatly when they thus saw the 
hart, and the tongue of the c -i um b to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to 

dumb sing. isa. xxxv. 1 \ * 

5, 6. walk, and the blind to see ; a and, notwithstanding that the 



( 2 ) Put His fingers into his ears.] Our Lord 
often used visible signs to represent that divine 
invisible virtue which resided in Him. His 
adoption of any action alone shows its fitness, 
and we are not to expect in all cases to find 
reasons. Sometimes, however, as on this occa- 
sion, the external actions employed appear signi- 
ficant of the cure to be performed. Thus, as 
deaf persons seem to have their ears closed, our 
Lord applies His finger to this man's ears, to 
intimate He would open them ; and because the 
tongue seems to be tied, or through drought to 



cleave to the paiate, he touches and moistens 
it, to intimate He would loose and give it free 

motion. 

( 1 ) Maimed.] On the authority of Hippocrates 
the original of this word should be rendered "dis- 
torted," but the usual sense of the word in pure 
Greek is " mutilated," as it must also be under- 
stood at Mark ix. 43. This explanation is the 
more satisfactory, because the restoration of 
limbs is an instance of the creative power of our 
Saviour. 



THE MULTITUDE ARE AGAIN MIRACULOUSLY FED. 



greater part of them were heathen, they glorified the God 
of Israel. 

In those days, while He still continued on the eastern 
shore of the lake, the multitude that were attending Him 
there being very great, and having nothing left to eat of 
the provisions they had brought, Jesus called His disciples 
unto Him and saith unto them, I have compassion on the 
multitude because they have now been with Me three 
days, (2) and have nothing to eat; and I will not send 
them away fasting to their own houses, lest they faint 
[fail in their strength) by the way — for divers of them 
came from far. And His disciples, not reflecting on 
the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, answered Him 
with astonishment, Whence should we have so much bread 
in the wilderness as to fill so great a multitude? 15 [From " Whence should I 
whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in J^ptpV? ^ImKxl 
the wilderness? Mark]. And He asked them, How 13 - 
many loaves have ye ? And they said, Seven, and a few 
little fishes. 

And He commanded the multitude to sit down in 
order on the ground. And He took the seven loaves, and 
gave thanks to God for them, and brake them, and gave to 
His disciples for the people, to set before them : and they 
did set them before the people. And as they had a few 
small fishes, He blessed God over them, and commanded 
His disciples to set them also before them. So they did 
all eat and were filled. 0 And they who were with Him c So they did eat and 
took up, of the broken meat {the provision) that was left, weie ed " Neh,lx * 25 - 
seven large baskets full. d ( 3 ) And they that had eaten were th * m %^ tht/didtat! 
about four thousand men, beside women and children. thereof - 2 Kin s* 

And when all were fully satisfied, He sent away (bade 
farewell to) the multitude, as He had done on the previous 
occasion, lest they should attempt to make Him King. And 
straightway He entered into a ship with His disciples, and 
came into the parts of Dalmanutha, — or coasts of Magdala, 
— within which territory the city of Dalmanutha stood. 



( 2 ) Have now been with Me three days.'] Ac- 
cording to the Jewish mode of reckoning, these 
three days might he only two nights and one day. 
See Section XLVIIL, "Note 4. 

( 3 ) Seven baskets full.] Our translators have 
used the term " basket " here, as in the former 
case when the multitude was fed ; but a different 
word occurs in the original on this occasion, 



signifying a larger basket, which (as appears from 
classical writers) was able to contain a man. 
See also Acts ix. 25, where the same word occurs. 
Thus, although the number of persons fed and of 
the baskets filled was smaller on this occasion, 
the fragments saved may have been as much in 
quantity. See Section LXL, Note 11. 



172 



SECTION LXVIII. 

The Pharisees again request a sign; and Jesus warns His 

DISCIPLES AGAINST THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES AND SaDDU- 
CEES. 

Matt. xvi. 1—12. Mark viii. 11—21. Luke xii. 1. 

~ 1 ^/ r HILE Jesus continued at Dalmanutha, the Pharisees, 
with the Sadducees also, came where He was ; and, 
although mutually opposed in their principles and conduct, 
they began with one accord to question (to dispute) with 
Him. And tempting Him to some extraordinary trial of 
His power, they desired that He would shew them a sign 
» I saw in the night from Heaven a in confirmation of His mission. 

visions, and behold, One TT , i • i , ,i -wr t • 

like the Son of man came He answered and said unto them, Ye say, when it is 
Di t m^r 1 i3 UdSOfheaTen ' evening, It will be fair weather to-morrow, for the sky is 
And others, tempting a bright red. And in the morning ye say, It will be foul 

Him, sought of Him a 1 r i i • i -i ' i • r>. 

sign from heaven. Luke weather to-day, tor the sky is red and lowring. U ye 
^Thev said therefore hypocrites, ye can readily discern the face of the sky, but 
unto Him, wiiat sign can y e no t discern the yet more evident signs of the times* 

she west thou then, that • ■? 

we may see and believe (of this appointed season) ? For the Sceptre has already 

work? joh^vL^o. th ° U departed from Judah ; the seventy weeks of the prophet 

i> it the time appointed Daniel draw towards their close ; the predicted herald of 

the end shall be. Dan. f] ie Messiah has appeared ; and in Me and in My miracles 

The time is fulfilled, are your ot her prophecies receiving their fulfilment : no fur - 

b ft fanS^MSkt it ther evidence can be needed, and you have the capacity, if 

Many shall come in My y 0U would use it, to judge of that ivhich has been already 

name, saving, T am Christ, ° * . . . . 

and the time draweth near, vouchsajea. — And He sighed deeply in His spirit 0 (in His 
Lu — tS' in the dispensa- inmost soul), being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, 
fen of the fulness of times an( j sa ith Why doth this generation so perversely seek 

He might gather together n m 7 J ° • -i 

in one ail things in Christ, after a sign ? d Verily I say unto you once again, An evil 

Eph ' x * 10 " and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there 

red h£,^™ faw snau n0 such si S n as is demanded be given unto it, but only 

the city wholly given to the sign of the prophet Jonas : e (1 > My mission shall be 

idolatry. Actsxvii. 16. ° _ . , 

d * confirmed by a like miraculous event ; yet even that they will 

a sign° r i Cor.? 22. qmre not receive, for " if they believe not Moses and the prophets" 

« As Jonas was three s P°ke of Me, " neither will they be persuaded though 

days and three nights in One rose from the dead." And after this He left them 

the whale s helly, so shall ^ .... 

the Son of man he three as incorrigible ; and, entering into the ship again, departed 

davs and three nights in . - 1 n ,i_ i i 

the heart of the earth, to the other side of the lake. 

Matt. xii. 40. ^ n( j w h en His disciples w r ere come with Him to the 

other side, they perceived that they had forgotten to take 
sufficient bread with them ; neither indeed had they in the 
ship with them more than one loaf. In the meanw T hile, 
when there were gathered together an innumerable multi- 



(') The sign of the prophet Jonas.] For the explanation of the entire passage, see Section 
XLVIII., with Notes 1—3. 



THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES. 1 73 

tude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, 
Jesus then charged them, and began to say unto His disci- 
ples first of all, Take heed to yourselves and beware ye of 
the leaven f of the Pharisees, which is hvpocrisy — a mere 1 Know ye not that a 

7 . , , 7 n ... little leaven leaveneth the 

pretence to deceive by the outward appearance of sanctity; w hoie lump?.... There- 
and beware also of the joint leaven of the Sadducees and ^^01?^^ 
of Herod, — men who audaciously deny the existence of a ther with the le aven of 

malice and -wickedness, 

Divine Providence and a Future State : For as leaven com- but with the unleavened 
pletely, yet imperceptibly, sours the whole of the bread with ^ t a h d °/ c^v"^ s and 
which it is mixed, so do the unsound doctrines of such guides 
corrupt and puff up the unwary minds of their follo wers. 

And they, receiving the literal meaning of His words, 
reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have 
been negligent and have taken no breads (-) ivith us, that S He said unto them, I 
He reproves us. Which when Jesus perceived, He said ^ Zl o^T^e 
unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye thus among said the <-L isci P les one to 

. , 1 another, Hath any man 

yourselves, as if ye ivere like to famish because ye have brought Him aught to eat? 
brought no bread ? Do ye not yet perceive, neither John 1V 32 * 33 ' 
understand? Have ye your hearts yet hardened (3) and 
unconvinced ? I have plainly appealed to your senses : 
having eyes, see ye not the miracles performed? and 
having ears, hear ye not the doctrine ivhich has been deliv- 
ered? And do ye not remember the miracle which ivas 
twice exhibited before your eyes ? When I brake the five 
loaves for distribution among five thousand (4) persons, how 
manv baskets full of fragments took ye up ? They say >> And they took up or 
unto Him, We took up twelve.* And again, when the * e Se"jtil 
seven ivere divided among four thousand persons, how Matt - xiv - 20 - 
many baskets full of fragments took ye up ? And they 
said, Lord, we took up seven. — And He said unto them, 
How is it then that you do not understand that I spake it 
not to you now concerning bread for the body, but that ye 
should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the 
Sadducees. / have cautioned you before that ye be not 
anxious about the meat that perisheth, — ivhich you have seen 
that I can so easily provide for My faithful followers, — 
and I have also told you that none of those outward things 
which ye suffer to engross your thoughts can defile a man. 

Then understood they plainly how that He bade them giJp^Me, 0 teaching 
not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the corrupt doctline s the command- 

* ments ot men. Matt, xv 

doctrine 1 of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. 9. 



( 2 ) It is because we have taken no bread. ] The 
Jewish doctors prohibited using the leaven of 
the heathen or of Samaritans, and the disciples 
supposed that Jesus here reproved their care- 
lessness in not being provided with bread, as 
though He disapproved of their obtaining it 
from dealers either of the sect of the Pharisees 
or the Sadducees. A similar error of mis- 
taking our Lord's words, when He was in Sa- 



maria, is related by St. John, as shown above 
in the Margin. 

( 3 ) Have ye your hearts yet hardened ?] Though 
this slowness of comprehension was perverseness 
with the Jews in general, it was a sin of infir- 
mity only with the Apostles. See Section LXI V., 
Note 7. 

( 4 ) When I brake the five loaves among fivg 
thousand.] See Section LXI. 



174 



SECTION LXIX. 

The sight of a man born blind is gradually restored at 

Bethsaida. 



A 1 



Mark viii. 22 — 26. 

ND He cometh to Bethsaida, and they bring unto 
Him a blind man — one who had been so from his 
birth ; and they besought Him to touch him that he might 
recover his sight. And He took the blind man by the 
« Woe unto thee, Beth- hand^ and led him out of the town, a — -for He deemed the 
works ^ which were done m inhabitants, who had already beheld so many miracles in 
Tp- e h ld be s i ;don 0 ) Ue they va *h unworthy to be witnesses of more. And when He had 
would have repented long S pit on (moistened) his eyes, (I) and put His hands upon 

ago in sackcloth and ashes. . . TT i-i-,. • r» -i i / .,. N n * -i i 

Matt. xi. 21. him, He asked him if he saw aught (anything) ? And he 

looked up to try his powers, and said, I see men as trees, 
walking (I can only distinguish them from trees by their 
motion). After that He put His hands again upon his 
eyes, (2) and made him look up ; and he was then restored 
to perfect sight, and saw every man clearly. And He sent 
him away to his house, saying, Neither go back into the 
town, nor tell it elsewhere to any who dwell in the town, 
for they are not worthy. 



(*) Spit on his eyes.] The symbolical action 
here employed seems to us extraordinary, but 
the Jews believed that fasting spittle had a medi- 
cinal effect on diseased eyes, and it was used by 
them with invocation of God. The same notion 
prevailed among the heathen ; and a blind man, 
who sought a cure from Vespasian, declared his 
persuasion that the emperor could in this manner 
restore his sight. The pretended miracle, said 
to be wrought on that occasion, is recorded by 
Tacitus (Hist, iv.), and by Suetonius (Ves- 
pas. 7). 

( 2 ) He put His hands again upon his eyes, &<?.] 
This progressive cure affords a remarkable and 
decisive proof of the Omniscience as well as Om- 
nipotence of Christ ; for it shows that He knew, 
almost seventeen centuries before it was suspected 
by the most sagacious and enquiring philosophers, 



that the mere perfection of the organs of sight is 
not sufficient to render vision perfect : and thus 
we see an instance in the Bible, in which a fact, 
unintelligible at the time, lies useless as it 
were, till a scientific age supplies the key to open 
the hidden treasure. It appears to have been 
the belief, until the time of Locke, that a man 
born blind would immediately see as well as other 
men if the organs of vision were suddenly ren- 
dered perfect ; but the contrary conclusion, to 
which Locke was led by theory, was established 
by discoveries in the removal of cataract. In 
the case of a patient who had been born blind, 
the man was obliged to spend some time in learn- 
ing to see like other men. — In the miracle before 
us, our Lord's first application rendered the 
organs perfect ; the second conferred the advan- 
tages of experience. 



175 



SECTION LXX. 

Peter's acknowledgment of the Messiahship and Divinity of 

Jesus. 

Matt. xvi. 13—20. Mark viii. 27—30. Luke ix. 18—21. 

AND Jesus and His disciples went out from Bethsaida a whom makest thou 
.. „~ TO .,. . A , .. . . thyself? John viii. 53. 

into the towns ol Cesarea Philippi/ > And it came to 

pass by the way, when Jesus came into the coasts of it, that ^ J* h ^ a s s ai J is ^ s f °™ 

as He was alone (apart from any multitude), praying, and the dead; and of some 

TT . . , 7 • -, tt- ,7 - y that Elias had appeared ; 

His disciples were retired with Him, as soon as their devo- and of others that one of 
Hons were ended He asked His disciples, saying unto t^^t^^t™ 
them, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? a E ^^ 6 ^ e 1 ^ l ^ e ^ ™ u 
what are the opinions commonly entertained regarding Me? the coming of the great 
They answering said, Some say that Thou art John the L 0 d rd dre £!iv d I ° f the 
Baptist "risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works 

c Before thou earnest 

do show forth themselves in him." But some say, Elias, b forth out of the womb I 
— expecting that particular prophet to come in person as Se^theea^roph^tunto 
the forerunner of the Messiah: and others say, Jeremias, ^nations... See i have 

. J this day set thee over the 

the weeping prophet, who was sanctified from the womb and nations and over the Mn g - 
was to be set over the nations : c and again, others, esteeming puUdo^md^de^oy! 
no one of the present generation holy enough to be sent from buad^nJto^pianT^Je? 
God, say that one of the old Prophets, — though they i- 5, 10. 
cannot determine which, — is certainly risen again. d The Lord hath said 

And He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? son thJ'day TavT^ S 
And Simon Peter answereth and saith unto Him, We believe gotten Thee. p s . ii. j. 
and are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living heaven, Lylng^T-his™^ 
God. d And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed f ^ptaj D Ma°tt 
art thou, Simon Bar-Jona (son of Jonas) ; for flesh and blood ui - 17 - 

t y nit ii- i And w e believe and are 

{man, or human testimony) hath not revealed it unto thee ? sure that Thou art that 
but My Father which is in heaven : e ^ He hath removed f* n °l g£ 

the veil of prejudice from thine heart, and given thee grace 
to believe this saving Truth. And I say this also unto n0 r 0 ?Z wm of°L fleS 
thee, as a personal tribute to thy faith and heroic zeal in ? or °/ * h f of . m ™> 

. ' n J but of God. John i. 13. 

this Confession, That thou art truly named Peter f {"which When it pleased God tc 
is by interpretation a stone") : suitable to thy name shall be ^mi^t ^reach^ffim 
thy work and office; and upon this self-same Rock I will ^Ciyi ™t" 

with flesh and blood. Gal. i. 15, 1 6. 

f Thou art Simon, the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is, by interpretation, a stone. John i. 42. 



( ! ) Cesarea Philippi.'] This was formerly the 
city Dan ( Judg. xviii. 29), situated at the foot of 
Mount Paneas, whence flow the springs or source 
of the Jordan. The situation so much pleased 
Philip the Tetrarch, that he made it the seat of 
his court, and, after enlarging and adorning it, 
named it Cesarea in honour of the emperor 
Tiberius Caesar. Philippi was added either from 
his own vanity, or to distinguish it from another 
Cesarea, a seaport of the Mediterranean, men- 
tioned Acts xxi. 8. 

( 2 ) Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto 
thee, We cannot suppose Peter to be in- 

structed as to this great truth by a particular 



revelation, for then Nathanael would have been 
similarly intructed, contrary to Christ's words 
(John i. 50) ; also the Centurion (Matt, xxvii. 54), 
and all other believers. This also would absolve 
the Jews, who might plead that it was not in their 
power to believe ; whereas Christ always appeals 
to His works as sufficient testimonies for belief. 
Peter received the truth with that ready and 
faithful heart, which is the gift of the Spirit to all 
who duly ask for it : " The natural man receiv- 
eth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they 
are foolishness to him ; neither can he know 
them, because they are spiritually discerned." 



176 



THE PROMISE TO ST, PETER. 



S That He might pre- 
sent it to Himself a glo- 
rious church, not having 
spot or wrinkle, or any 
such thing ; hut that it 
should be holy and with- 
out blemish. Eph. v. 27. 

Whosoever liveth and 
believeth in Me, shall 
never die. John xi. 26. 

h And the key of the 
house of David will I lav 



build My Church & — laying its first foundation upon thy 
preaching both to Jews and Gentiles ; and the gates of hell 
(of Hades, or Death itself) shall not prevail against it : s W 
it shall flourish in the face of all its enemies, and the body of 
the faithful composing it shall endure for ever. And I will 
give unto thee the keys h of the kingdom of heaven;^ thai 
thou first may est open the door of My Church, and toge- 
ther with thy brethren make laws for its government — 



( 3 ) Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will 
build My Church.] " The Rock " in this pas- 
sage has been ably interpreted of the Confession 
of Peter, which yields a good sense ; also of Christ 
Himself as the object of it ; and certainly it is 
some support of these views that the Original 
employs a feminine noun for the word "Rock," 
while that for " Peter " is masculine. But the 
whole force and particularity of this striking pas- 
sage seems destroyed, unless we interpret it of 
Peter's person. (Consult Gen. xvii. 5 and xxxii. 
28, where reasons are given for the names ot 
Abraham and Israel). So Tertullian and Am- 
brose among the ancients, and the greater 
number of the ablest moderns, have understood 
our Lord's words. Unquestionably it w r as Peter's 
preaching that laid the first foundations of the 
faith both among Jews and Gentiles (see Acts ii. 
41 ; x. 44, 48 ; xv. 7)- — Romanists have laid 
hold of and lamentably misused this interpreta- 
tion ; yet so far from supporting the pretence of 
the Roman pontiff to be the successor of St. Peter, 
it effectually overthrows such pretence. In being 
the first missionary to Jew and Gentile, that 
Apostle cannot have a Successor : the founda- 
tions of the Church cannot again be laid, and 
certainly that great work of Providence cannot 
be repeated by one who remains stationed at 
Rome, claiming to be ruler over God's heritage, 
instead of going in person among the heathen. 
The words of St. Paul, that he had " the care of 
all the Churches," would rather conclude for 
that distinguished Apostle, if for any one, an 
Universal Pastorship ; and all the other Apostles 
are expressly called " pillars " and "foundation- 
stones" (see Gal. ii. 9 ; Eph. ii. 20 ; Rev. xxi. 
14). Indeed the same Confession of their Mas- 
ter's Divinity had before this been made in the 
name of all, although Peter was, as usual, the 
spokesman (John vi. 69 ; — Sect. LXIII). James 
and John converted those of the Circumcision as 
well as Peter ; and Paul preached to more Gen- 
tiles than ever Peter did, — being called by way 
of eminence their Apostle. — Perhaps (as Cyprian 
thought) a commencement was made from Unity 
in the person of Peter, that the Church might be 
set before us as One. 

( 4 ) The gates of hell shall not prevail against 
if] We have here an assurance that the Spi- 
ritual Society founded by our Lord shall ever 
subsist for its Divine purposes — that neither 
persecution from without nor corruption within 
should utterly overthrow it. Accordingly, while 
subject to the fiercest assaults of the heathen, 
the Church was wonderfully preserved, and even 
strengthened. It suffered more in the Middle 
Ages from ignorance and superstition, but still 
there was always a remnant (as in the Alpine 
valleys) to be found faithful. The religion of 
Mohammed has now nearly banished the Gospel 
from the lesser Asia, and even from its native 



land ; and the candlestick of Northern Africa, 
the land of Cyprian, Tertullian, and Augustine, 
the scene of so many martyrdoms and triumphs 
of the faith, has been long removed : but the 
Saviour's Promise was not to any particular 
community; it was to the Universal Church, and 
when the light has been extinguished in one 
country, it has been kindled in another. 

( 5 ) I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom 
of heaven, Qc] These words are a continuation 
of the image by which the Church is compared 
to an edifice founded on a rock. Peter was to be 
the person by whose instrumentahty the door 
was to be opened ; and as a key was anciently a 
symbol of authority, there seems also a plain 
reference to the power and authority conferred 
for the work. The keys are said to be given to 
the Apostle that he might "bind and loose." 
These expressions have been interpreted (from 
John xx. 23) of remitting and retaining sins, a 
power undoubtedly possessed by the Apostles, 
who had the extraordinary assistance of the Holy 
Spirit, and Peter showed that he had a know- 
ledge of the human heart in his condemnation of 
Ananias and Sapphira : but " to bind " and " to 
loose " here seem chiefly to refer to the lawful- 
ness or unlawfulness of things — to the govern- 
ment of the Church. Whatever these re- 
markable expressions may be understood to im- 
port, one thing is clear, that such power belonged 
equally to all the rest of the Apostles : "Verily, 
I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on 
earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatso- 
ever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in 
heaven " (Matt, xviii. 18); and again, "Whose- 
soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto 
them, and whosesoever sins ye retain they are 
retained " (John xx. 23). It is further evident 
that the privilege of " the keys " gave Peter no 
higher authority than the rest, for, subsequent to 
this, we find them disputing who should be the 
chief. Neither did Peter himself ever advance 
any such claim, for he describes himself with the 
rest as simply an Apostle (2 Pet. iii. 2), and ex- 
horts the elders as being himself an elder (1 Pet. 
v. ] ). That our Lord's words on this occasion 
did not give Peter even an honorary precedence, 
appears from the fact, that although he was pre- 
sent at the council of Jerusalem, James the Less 
presided (Acts xv. 13, 19) ; and we know that 
upon one occasion Paul publicly withstood him 
(see Gal. ii. 11). Thus, a power and precedence 
which Peter himself never possessed, could not, 
it is evident, be transmitted to any successor, 
whether at Rome or elsewhere. An additional 
circumstance, worthy of remark in this part of 
the sacred narrative, is, that immediately after 
the honour now conferred upon Peter, our Lord, 
in the hearing of all the disciples, calls him Satan 
(See in the next Section). 



THE PROMISE TO ST. PETER. 



17? 



declaring what is allowed, and forbidden, and required of 
Christians. And whatsoever thou, thus assisted by My 
Spirit, shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and 
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in 
heaven : / ivill ratify thy decisions, both whatsoever thou 
shalt forbid, and whatsoever thou shalt declare lawful to be 
done. & 

And He straitly charged His disciples, and commanded 
them to tell no man that thing of Him — that He was 
Jesus the Christ (6) — until after His resurrection ; 1 for to 
have done so might have precipitated events, and offered an 
opportunity to the people of proclaiming Him King. 



upon his shoulder : so he 
shall open and none shall 
shut, and he shall shut 
and none shall open. Isa. 
xxii. 22. 

I am He that liveth 
and was dead ; and behold 
I am alive for evermore, 
Amen ; and have the keys 
of hell and of death. Rev. 
i. 18. 



' Jesus charged them, 
saying, Tell the vision to 
no man until the Son of 
man be risen again from 
the dead. Matt. xvii. 9. 



SECTION LXX1. 

Jesus Plainly foretells His sufferings and death; when Peter 3 
taking offence, is rebuked ; and all are exhorted to self- 
DENIAL. 

Matt. xvi. 21—28. Mark viiL 31—38; ix. 1. Luke ix. 22—27 

A ND now, lest they should be shaken in their faith by 
what was soon to befal Him, Jesus began from that 
time forth to teach plainly and to show unto His disciples 
how that He, the Son of man, must needs go unto J eru- a it cannot be mat a 
salem, a because out of that blood-thirsty city no prophet Sm^^Luke^n^S " 
could suffer, and there all Israel might be witnesses; 
and that instead of assuming human sovereignty, He must 
suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and 
the chief priests and scribes b of the Sanhedrim; and at b The eiders of the peo- 
last be killed in a violent manner ; and that, notwith- and the ScribeTLmlTS 
standing, He should, after remaining a part of three days ^^uncii ed Luk™KH > 
under the power of death, be raised again on the third day. c 66. 
And He spake that sayings no longer in figurative language, c Remember how He 
but openly. And then Peter, elated by the commendation watyethiGdue^ayu^ 
he had recently received, tenderly took Him by the hand, So ^ °. f ™ a " m " st *f 

° 7 ° , . delivered into the hands 

and began to rebuke {to remonstrate with and chide) Him, of sinful men, and be cm- 
saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord ; d this violence shall not rise again. Luke xxiv. 6, 
be done unto Thee. But when He had turned about, and 
looked e reproachfully on His other disciples, — for He per- d That be far from Thee 

•* . is*/ x to do after this manner. 

ceived that they entertained the like sentiments, — He rebuked Gen. xviu. 25. 
Peter in their presence with some severity, and said unto « And the Lord turned 
him, Get thee behind Me, Satan— evil counsellor as thou tX^l%^ Petev ' 
art to thy Master, and an adversary to the best ivelfare of 
thy fellow-men : thou art an offence {a stumbling-block) unto 



( 6 ) That He was Jesus the Christ] The word 
" Jesus " is evidently superfluous here, and the 
most eminent critics agree that it should be 



cancelled. The omission has the authority of 
fifty-four MSS. and several Versions and Fathers. 



N 



178 



SELF-DENIAL ENJOINED. 



t They that are after the Me, tempting Me to decline My Cross; for in this thou 

flesh do mind the things . . 

of the flesh, hut they that savourest not (thou regardest not) the things that be of 

SLgfo7th^Spfrit ri Rom e ^od and pleasing to Him, but the vain things and weak 

5 - imaginations that be of men. f 

bear^? 0806 ^ ^ n0t ^ n( ^ ^en, wnen He had called the people unto Him, 

after Me, cannot be My with His disciples also, — since the practice of self-denial 

^T^mus^oShmuch w ^ c ^ ^ e would inculcate was an universal duty, — He said 

tribulation, enter into the unto them all. Whosoever will freely come after Me ( for 

kingdom of God. Acts 3 J . 9 , ) J 

xiv. 22. none are under compulsion to come), let him learn to denv 

iaQM^i&S himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Meg even 
persecution. 2 Tim. hi. un f 0 death if he be called to such a trial : for whosoever 
will choose rather to save his life in this world, when duty 

h He that lovefh his life 777... 7 • i n i . . ,. „ 7 , 

shall lose it; and he that calls him to surrender it, snail lose it in life eternal; but 
whosoever shall be content to lose his life for My sake and 
nal Veriiy hn veri 25 1 _ ^ e ^ 0S P e -^ s J the same shall find it — graciously preserved, 
unto you, if a "man keep it may be even here, and assuredly shall save it h in the 
sef death 5 h jo£vi£, e 5L world to come. And how truly wise will such conduct be : 
1 None of them can b ^ or wna t shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole 
any means redeem his world and lose his own souh^ — if he lose himself and be 

brother, nor give to God „ ~ , 77 , ., T , T . ... 

a ransom for him : for the cast away /or ever ? Or, tell me, what earthly thing shall 
prfcS^pi^.Ta 5 a man § iTe in exchange (as a ransom) for his eternal soul, 5 
. T . A . , which is a treasure beyond all price ? 

k I saw m the night u r 

visions and behold, One To reconcile you to the various privations incident to this 

like the Son of man came „ , 7 , , . , , „ , 7 1J 

with the clouds of heaven, life, reflect upon the rewards and punishments of the world 
Dan. vn. 13. come : Yot assuredly, the Son of man shall come, k as 

1 Until the appearing of ffa prophet Daniel describes, not in His present form of a 

our Lord Jesus Christ, sr ir ? jt ./ </ 

who only hath immor- despised servant, but in all the glory of His Father, 1 sur- 
hgiiT wWch^ncfman can rounded with His holy angels : and then, before the assem- 
aproach unto. 1 Tim. frj e( 7 universe, He shall reward every man according to his 
works. m Those who have believed My doctrine and copied 



« Behold the Lord 

cometh with ten thousand My example, shall receive the recompense destined for the 
judgment^upon 0 ai^and just} but whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My 
to convince ail that are wor ds m this sinful and adulterous generation, of him also 

ungodly among them of . 

ail their ungodly deeds shall the Son of man be ashamed, 11 when He cometh in His 
committed 7 h JudeT£ 0dly own glory, and in the glory of His Father, with the holy 
angels. 

And He further said to them, Verily I tell you of a truth, 
That there be some of them that now stand here, which 
shall not really taste of the bitterness of death 0 (of that 
* if we ideny Him He Second death which awaits the impenitent), till they see the 

will also deny us. 2 Tim. _ * l? J 

ii. 12. kingdom of God come with power (2) — even the Son of 

0 The unbelieving and man coming in His kingdom to judge the world. 

the abominable, and idol- 
aters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burnetii with fire and brimstone : which is the second 
death. Rev. xxi. 8. 



And behold I come 
quickly, and My reward 
is with Me, to give to 
every man according as 
his work shall be. Rev. 
xxii. 12. 



(*) What shall it profit, Qc] Cicero has a 
parallel thought, — that " if Virtue were put into 
one scale, and the whole world into the other, the 
former would outweigh the latter " (Audebo vir- 
tutis amplitudinem quasi in altera librce lance 
ponere : terram mihi crede, ea lanx et maria de- 
primet. — De Finibus). But how much more 



just, as well as rationally noble and beautiful, 
does the sentiment stand in the Gospel, where a 
Future State is held out as a reward to the vir- 
tuous. 

( 2 ) Which shall not taste of death till, <fc] 
Many interpret this passage as referring to the 
Transfiguration, but this event took place only 



179 



SECTION LXXII. 

The Transfiguration. 
Matt. xvii. 1—13. Mark ix. 2—13. Luke ix. 28—36. 

AND it came to pass after six entire days (or about an 
eight days^) after these sayings respecting His Passion, 
Jesus taketh with Him those three disciples who on various 
occasions received especial marks of His favour, — namely 
Peter, and James, and John (2) his brother. — and leadeth 

, , . , . , . , . , 77 7 ■ We beheld His glory, 

them up by themselves into a high mountain apart ( ) (called the glory as of the only 

Mount Tabor), to pray. )XTu* the 

And as He prayed. He was transfigured a (changed in —who shall change om- 

viz. \ f vile tod y> tliat ,4 ma y be 

His external appearance) before them ; (4) and the fashion fashioned like unto His 

(appearance) of His countenance was altered, and His face |^ nous hodj - phlL 11U 



a few days after. Others explain it of the As- 
cension, with which event our Lord's kingdom 
did properly commence ; but we can hardly 
imagine Him telling a numerous assembly that 
some of them were destined to live half a year 
— for within that period the Ascension took 
place. A reference to the destruction of Jeru- 
salem would yield a better sense, for the " Coming 
of the Son of man " sometimes has that sig- 
nification, and to " taste of death " sometimes 
signifies (as at Heb. ii. 9) simply to die ; but 
the interpretation of this passage, as referring to 
the second death at the day of Judgment, seems to 
clear every difficulty : it is implied that then the 
impenitent shall taste the bitterness of death, 
whereas the following promise to the saints is 
without any limitation of time : "If a man keep 
My saying, he shall never taste of death " (John 
viii. 52). 

(') About an eight day s.l This would include 
the evening of the day on which the previous 
discourse with the disciples took place and the 
day on which He now ascended the Holy Mount. 
Any portion of a day was counted as a day (see 
Note 4 of Section XLVIII). The expression 
" about" (here taken from St. Luke) always sig- 
nifies that a sum is not complete : thus, Jesus 
" began to be about thirty" (Luke iii. 23), and 
"about the sixth hour" (Luke xxiii. 44). 

( 2 ) Peter, and James, and John.] Three only 
of the disciples accompanied, because that formed 
the number of witnesses necessary for legal 
proof. The three selected were confidential dis- 
ciples : Peter the most zealous, James the most 
active, and John the most beloved among them. 
These were afterwards the great pillars of the 
infant church (Gal. ii. 9). The names of all 
three were changed by Christ (Mark iii. 16, 17). 
As on this occasion, He took them with Him as 
witnesses when He raised to life the ruler of the 
synagogue's daughter (Mark v. 37), and again 
as the chosen witnesses of His Agony in the 
Garden (Matt. xxvi. 37). 

( 3 ) A high mountain apart.] There seem sufficient 
grounds for assigning to Mount Tabor the honour 
of being the scene of our Lord's Transfiguration. 
That it was so, is mentioned in one of Jerome's 
Epistles as a tradition of that time; and the 
early Christians dedicated there a church to 



Jesus, Moses, and Elias. This Mount had before 
been celebrated on account of the victory gained 
there by Deborah and Barak (Judg. iv. 14). 
It is now described as a calcareous mountain of 
a conical form, standing entirely detached in the 
great plain of Esdraelon, and covered entirely 
with trees, grass, and wild flowers. The height 
has been computed at three thousand feet. 
Viewed from below, the Mount appears to ter- 
minate in a point, but the summit is an oval 
plain of about a quarter of a mile in length, 
which Josephus, when he was governor of Galilee, 
encompassed with a wall. 

( 4 ) He was transfigured before them.'] As to 
the particular nature of this change, it is quite 
incomprehensible to us with our present facul- 
ties ; and ' although much might be said on the 
subject, it is more fitting, on so awful an event, 
to restrain our speculations. The principal pur- 
pose, for which it was permitted to take place, 
appears to be (as Peter himself tells us in his 
Epistle) to demonstrate the certainty of Christ's 
Second Coming (2 Pet. i. 16 — 18); it is also a 
shadowing forth to us of the glory of the saints 
after the Resurrection (Phil. iii. 21). We may 
reasonably suppose that as every other important 
truth, — such as our Temptation, Death, and Re- 
surrection, — was represented in the Saviour's 
personal history, so the most interesting truth of 
all, relating to the Judgment and Future World, 
would be represented likewise. — This is one of the 
three instances of God's personally interposing 
and bearing testimony in favour of His Divine 
Son (see Matt. iii. 16, 17; John xii. 28). The 
circumstance of Moses and Elias appearing on 
this occasion prefigures the Resurrection and 
Ascension of Christ. The immortality of the 
human soul was also here proved to the Apos- 
tles in opposition to the influential opinions of 
the Sadducees, and they were fortified against 
despondency. Another important purpose was 
to denote figuratively the expiration of the Jewish, 
and the commencement of the Christian dispen- 
sation. Moses, the giver of the Law, and Elias, 
its great restorer at a period of universal defec- 
tion, both render up their authority into the 
hands of Christ, and leave Him alone as the 
Person thenceforward to be obeyed. 

N 2 



180 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 



b His countenance was did shine as the sun b in its meridian glory, and His rai- 

as the sun shineth in his , . , ,. , -. ti- 7*7 7.7 

strength. Rev. i. 16. ment was white and glistering as the light which clothes 
« His raiment was white the inhabitants of heaven — shining exceeding white, as 
as snow. Matt, xxvih. 3. sn0 w, c far beyond human art to equal and so as no fuller on 

The Ancient of days, > J it 1 

whose garment was white earth can white them. And behold, there appeared unto 
"faw fouT* 1 and* twenty them two men talking with Jesus, which were Moses and 
eiders sitting, clothed in Elias/ 5 ) the two great representatives of the Law and the 

white raiment. Rev. iv. 3 

4. Prophets ; who appeared in glory, and spake [conversed) 

of His decease which He should accomplish at the ensuing 
Passover at Jerusalem. 

But Peter, and they [James and John) that were with 
him, were heavy with sleep ; and when they were now 
awake, they saw His glory and the two men that stood with 
Him. And it came to pass, as they departed [just before 
Moses and Elias had departed) from Him, Peter, referring 
to what he had heard, answered and said unto Jesus, Master, 
it is good for us to be [to remain) here ; and if Thou wilt, 
let us make here three tabernacles, (6) one for Thee, and one 
for Moses, and one for Elias: for although the forwardness 
iowed°cumiingiy detiled °f Peter's disposition prompted him to say something, he 
fables, when we made wist not [scarcely knew) what he said (7) [what to sav, 

known unto you the power -i <» t »t -» • i 77*7 

and coming of our Lord Markj ; for he and the other disciples were so overwhelmed 

ey^witue^es'of HisTa! hl J the 9 lor V of the spectacle which they had witnessed, that 

jesty. For He received they were sore afraid. 

from God the Father ho- ^ m _ i-i-ii i • i i i 

nour and glory, when While he thus spake, behold there came a bright cloud (8) , 
SmmTom^heexcdient an d overshadowed them [the Lord, ivith Moses and Elias), 
glory. This is My beloved an( j as t h ev u ae Apostles) entered into [were enveloped by) 

Son, m whom I am well J \ .r j \ r u > 

pleased. And this Voice the cloud, they feared. And behold, as on the occasion 

which came from heaven /.. 7 , ,. /, x TT . . <. -11 

we heard when we were oj the baptism of J esus, there came a Voice out 01 the cloud 
mSnt^piti^e-ia which said > This is M y Beloved Son, in whom I am well 
, pleased : d and then in confirmation of the ancient prediction 

e The Lord thy God 1 '' J r 

will raise up unto thee a of Moses, the Voice added, Hear ye Him e — thus declaring 
S^o?%^*hreiit?ike that the Old Dispensation was at an end, and that Jesus 
unto me-, unto Him shall wa s thenceforth the proper object of man's spiritual con- 

ye hearken. Deut. xviu. J 1 1 f J ... 

15. temptation and the sole proclaimer of the Divine wilL 



( 5 ) Which were Moses, and Elias.~\ They 
would be known from the discourse which took 
place, and from Jesus addressing them as such, 
for the Apostles awoke towards the conclusion of 
the conference : or the witnesses might know this 
fact by revelation. It may be asked, " How 
were these dead raised up, and with what body 
did they come?" We know that Elias was 
translated (2 Kings ii. 11), and he may have put 
on glory at once ; and though we only know from 
tradition that the body of Moses could never be 
found, it is enough to answer, " God gave to 
them a body as it pleased Him, and to each his 
own body." " Is anything too hard for the 
Lord?" 

( 6 ) Tabernacles.] These booths were com- 
posed of branches of trees (with which Mount 
Tabor still abounds). Such were often raised 
hastily by travellers, and they were reared in 
great numbers at the feast of Tabernacles. 



(7) Wist not what he said.] It may be sup- 
posed that Peter meant, How much better it was 
to abide there than to descend into the world 
again, or to encounter those sufferings which they 
had been told of ; but he manifestly forgot that 
the Great Sacrifice must be offered up, and also 
he did not consider, in making such a proposal, 
that neither Moses nor Elias were equal to His 
Master in dignity or authority. 

( 8 ) There came a bright cloud.] This " Ex- 
cellent Glory" (as St. Peter calls it in his 
Epistle), accompanied as it was by the Divine 
Voice, must have been the Shechinah, or visible 
symbol of Deity. On Mount Sinai the cloud 
was dark and thick, appearing with thunder : 
here the cloud was bright, and nothing was heard 
save the mild Paternal voice of the Almighty, 
expressing His delight in His beloved Son. These 
circumstances are thought to point out the dif- 
ferent characters of the two Dispensations. 



THE TRANSFIGURATION. 



181 



And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face 1 And when I saw Him, 

, r * i a it * t' e H at His feet as dead. 

with lowly reverence, and were sore atraid. And Jesus And He laid His right 

came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid/ ^ZZuTTTe 

And suddenly, when the Voice was past, Moses and Elias J«t and the last. Rev. i. 

had disappeared, and Jesus was found alone: and when gA time to keep silence 

they had lifted up their eyes and looked round about, they jw^a time to speak, 

saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves. . „ ' , 

7 J . h For He taught His 

And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus disciples and said unto 

charged them that they should tell no man, not even their ^"erS^nto 1 thVwis 

fellow-disciples, what things they had seen/ 9 ) till the Son of men, and they shall l ill 

J . . Him, and alter that He is 

of man were risen from the dead; because, previous to killed, He shall rise the 

. 77 7. j j r third dav : but they un- 

that decisive event, it would appear but as a dream ana be derstood'not that saying, 

discredited. % And they kept that saying carefully, ques- a, *t 

tioning with themselves (one with another) what the rising The people answered 

° . _ ill ii , „ Him, We have heard out 

oj the Messiah irom the dead should mean 0 — -for they were 0 f the Law that Christ 

unable to reconcile such an event with the tradition that the sayes?thou eV The^on 9 oi 

promised Seed of David should not die. And they kept it j^'™*^ lifted up? 

close, and told no man in those days any of those things . . 

J J 1 The times of resti- 

Which they had Seen. tution of all things which 

And His disciples asked Him, saying, // then this ap- ^^jg^ffi. 

pearance of Elias is to be kept secret until Thy departure, P h ^ ts ^J^ 6 ^ 01 ' 35 be " 

and if all will soon be accomplished, why say the Scribes, that Behold I will send you 

Elias must first come and moke Messiah known? And S^^iSg^f^e^great 

Jesus answered and said unto them, Truly has the Scrip- and dreadful day ef the 

3 J x Lord. And he shall turn 

lure announced that Elias shall first come and restore all the heart of the fathers to 

; ' , r 1 1 7#7 7/» i 7i the children and the heart 

things 1 into a better order than be/ore : and remember how 0 f the children to their 

it is also written with equal truth of the Son of man, that fct 5S"ihoaiatt"<ai?M8 

He must suffer many things and be set at nought. k But name John.. ..And many 

I say unto you that the Elias of whom the prophet spake IS turn to the Lord their 

indeed come already, as it is written of him ; and they knew t^ipiSt 

(acknowledged) him not,i but have done unto him whatso- and power of Elias to turn 

v f , , the hearts of the fathers to 

ever they listed (as they pleased), rejecting his baptism, ma- the children and the dis- 

ligning him, and at last putting him to death with an utter the'just. to Luke ^im!^ 

disregard of justice: but let not this surprise you, for like- 11 • 

wise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. k 1 °f * ?p«>ach of 

men, and despised ot the 

Then the disciples, when they reflected on the various people: ail they that see 

7 . .. • , 7 7 , ,7 Me laugh Me to scorn. 

predictions concerning the person who was to come in the p s . sx ii 6, 7. 

spirit and power of Elias, understood that He spake unto jec ^ 0 f men^M^df 

them Of John the Baptist. m sorrows, and acquainted 

with grief. Isa. liii. 2. 

And Herod with his men of war set Him at nought, and mocked Him. Luke xxiii. II. — And they howed the 
knee before Him and mocked Him. Matt, xxvii. 29. 

1 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, heing not baptized of John. 
Luke vii. 30. — For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say, He hath a devil. 
Luke vii. 33. 

m For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John : and if ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for 
to come. Matt. xi. 13, 14. 



( 9 ) What things they had seen.] The sense 
both of St. Mark and St. Luke is here correctly 
given. In our translation of St. Matthew's Gospel 
the word " Vision" is used instead, but it would 



perhaps have been better omitted as befog liable 
to be misunderstood. The corresponding noun 
in the original of that Evangelist, implies a re 
presentation to the eyes of leaking men. 



182 



SECTION LXXIIL 

a demoniac, whom the disciples were unable to dispossess, is 

cured by Jesus. 

Matt. xvii. 14 — 21. Mark ix. 14 — 29. Luke ix. 37 — 43. 

A ND it came to pass, on the next day when they were 
xjL come down from the hill of Tabor, that much people met 
Him. And when He came to His other nine disciples, He 
saw a great multitude about them, and the Scribes, taking 
advantage of His absence, were questioning with them and 
taunting them upon their inability to cast out devils. — And 
straightway all the people, when they beheld Him, were 
» And when Aaron and greatly amazed a and struck with veneration and awe ; for 
saw Moses, behold the as the face of Moses shone when he descended from Mount 
£T y l« SXdTiome Sinai, so were rays of glory still beaming from the counte- 
mgh him. Exod. xxxiv. nance of Jesus : and, running to Him, they saluted Him 

The children of Israel with more than ordinary testimonies of their respect. 
ZlToTZS^ And He asked the Scribes, About what question ye with 
glory of his countenance. tnem ? ^ nc j behold, while He enquired as to the cause of the 

2 Cor. m. 7. . m ; - '■ 

dispute, a certain man out or the multitude which was col- 
lected there, kneeling down to Him, answered and eagerly 
cried out, saying, Master [Lord, Matt.], I have here 
b And He was casting brought unto Thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit b (a 

out a devil, and it was 7 , 7 , 7 7 . _/» 7 • 7 * t\ ~ 1 

dumb. Luke xi. 14. demon that deprives him of his speech upon each attack). 1 
earnestly beseech Thee, look compassionately upon my son, 
c They shall mourn for for he is mine onlv child : c have Thou mercy on him. for 

him as one mourneth for , , , n , j W j*. - 

his only son, and shall be ne is an unhappy lunatic,^ and sore vexed with fits of 
S e b ~b" s for epilepsy, for oft-times he falleth into the fire, and oft into 
his first-born. Zech. xii. the water. And lo, wheresoever and whensoever this tor- 
menting spirit taketh {attacks) him, he suddenly crieth 
out; and it teareth him, — dashing him to the ground and 
causing him to beat himself, — so that in his paroxysms he 
foameth again at the mouth, and gnasheth with his teeth, 
and gradually pineth away : and the demon, thus bruising 
and convulsing him, hardly {with difficulty) departeth for 
a time from him. And I brought him in Thy absence to 
Thy disciples, and spake to them concerning him, and 
besought them to cast him {the demon) out, and they could 
not cure him : this it is, Lord, which has caused the pre- 
sent discussion, for the Scribes say that here is a distemper 
which cannot be cured in TJiy name. 

Then Jesus answered him, and said before all the people, 
who were eager to witness some fresh signs of His power, 



(') For he is lunatic] This distemper ap- 
pears to have been epilepsy; called lunacy by 
ancient medical writers, because it was supposed 



to be under the influence of the moon. All the 
symptoms, however, are reconcileable with de- 
moniacal influence. 



A MALIGNANT DEMON IS EJECTED. 



183 



O faithless and perverse generation ! d How long shall I 
be with you offering the means of grace and proofs of My 
mission in vain f How long shall I suffer you and bear 
with your incredulity ? Yet I will not deny you this further 
opportunity of grace : bring then thy son hither to Me. And, 
accordingly, they brought him unto Him : and when he (the 
spirit) saw Him, as he (the child) was yet a-coming, straight- 
way the spirit, becoming violent, threw him down, and tare 
(convulsed) him; and he fell on the ground, and there wal- 
lowed, rolling from side to side and foaming at the mouth. 
And this Jesus permitted for a time, in order that the greatness 
of the cure might be the more impressed on those who stood 
by; and, for the same reason, He asked his father, How long 
is it ago since this affliction came unto him ? And he said, 
Of a child (from his infancy) : and oft-times it hath cast 
him into the fire and into the waters to destroy him; but if 
Thou, Lord, canst do anything to free him from this mali- 
cious demon, have compassion on us both, and help us. 
Thus did the afflicted parent, already dispirited by the 
failure of the disciples, betray some fear lest the obsti- 
nacy of his child's distemper should surpass even the Mas- 
ter's power : Jesus said therefore unto him, If thou canst 
but believe and confide in My power to do this, then it 
shall be exerted on thy behalf; for all things are possible 
to be done to (for) him that believeth. e And straightway, 
on hearing this, the father of the child cried out and 
said, with tears, Lord, I do believe; help Thou mine un- 
belief: supply whatever Thou seest to be wanting in my 
faith, for I am ready to believe that Thou canst influence the 
inmost hearts of men. 

When Jesus saw that the people came running toge- 
ther,— for they were attracted to the spot by the vehe- 
mence of the afflicted parent, — and that their numbers were 
increasing every moment, He ivithout further delay, lest a 
tumult should arise, rebuked the unclean spirit/ saying 
unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I, the Lord of the 
universe, to whom thy Chief and all thy tribe are subject, 
charge thee to come this moment out of him, and enter no 
more into him. And as soon as these words were uttered, 
the spirit cried out, and by a last desperate struggle once 
more rent (convulsed) him sore, and came out of him ; and 
he (the child) was left as one dead, insomuch that many 
who looked on said, He is actually dead. But Jesus took 
him by the hand, and lifted him up ; and he, being 
strengthened, at once arose. And so He perfectly healed the 
child, and delivered him again to his father. And the 
child was cured of his epilepsy from that very hour. And 
they who witnessed the cure were all amazed at the mighty 
power of God,s which had been thus effectually manifested 
m Jesus. 



d They are a very fro 
ward generation, children 
in whom is no faith. Deut. 
xxxii. 20. 

— a stubborn and re- 
bellious generation, a gene- 
ration that set not their 
heart aright. Ps. lxxviii 
8. 



e Believe in the. Lord 
your God: so shall ye 
be established. 2 Chron. 
xx. 20. 

Without faith it is im- 
possible to please Him. 
Heb. xi. 6. 

Ask in faith, nothing 
wavering. Jameo i. 6. 



f Having spoiled prin- 
cipalities and powers, He 
made a shew of them 
openly, triumphing over 
them in it. Col. ii. 15. 



s Jesus saith unto her, 
Said I not unto thee that 
if thou wouldest believe, 
thou shouldest see the 
glory of God? John xi. 
40. 

For we have not fol- 
lowed cunningly devised 
fables when we made 
known unto you the power 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
2 Pet. i. 16. 



1S4 



ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH FAITH. 



h And when He had 
called unto Him His 
twelve disciples, He gave 
them power against un- 
clean spirits to cast them 
out. Matt. x. 1. 

And the seventy return- 
ed with joy, saying, Lord, 
even the devils are subject 
unto us through Thy 
Luke x. 17. 



* For verily I say unto 
you, That whosoever shall 
say unto this mountain, 
Be thou removed, and be 
thou cast into the sea, and 
shall not doubt in his 
heart, but shall believe 
that those things which he 
saith shall come to pass, 
he shall have whatsoever 
he saith. Mark xi. 23. 

k Praying always with 
all prayer and supplica- 
tion in the Spirit, and 
watching thereunto with 
all perseverance. Eph. 
vi. 18, 



And when He was come into the house in which He 
was at that time staying, His disciples, surprised and mor- 
tified at their own failure, came to Jesus apart, and asked 
Him privately, Why could not we cast him out, h having 
before performed in Thy name many cures resembling this ? 
And Jesus said unto them, It was because of your un- 
belief (your doubts as to the efficacy of your miraculous 
power) ; and the least measure of such doubt is inexcusable 
in the favoured attendants of My person : for verily I say 
unto you, If ye have faith in the powers conferred on you, 
though comparatively but as a grain of mustard- seed, (2 > ye 
shall say unto this mountain from ivhich we have lately 
descended, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall 
remove: and thus, firm in your belief and doubting not of your 
success, there is nothing relating to your Great Work which 
shall be impossible unto you.* Howbeit (He further said 
unto them), as to what ye have now witnessed, this malig- 
nant kind of demons can come forth (can be dislodged) by 
nothing but by that earnest faith which is acquired by 
prayer k and fasting. 



SECTION LXXIV. 

Jesus again reminds His disciples of His approaching suffer- 
ings; AND BY A MIRACLE PROVIDES THE TRIBUTE MONEY. 

Matt. xvii. 22—27. Mark ix. 30—33. Luke ix. 43—45. 

AND while they (the people) wondered, every one of 
them, at all these things which Jesus did, they (Him- 
self and His disciples) departed thence, and passed through 
the remaining districts of Galilee : and He would not that 
any man should know it, lest any further calls for the exer- 
cise of His power might draw Him off from the more impor- 
tant instruction of His followers. For while they abode 
yet in Galilee, Jesus again taught His disciples, and said 
unto them with still greater solemnity on this third occa- 
sion, Let these sayings sink down into your ears, so that 
hereafter you may remember I told you of them : for, not- 
withstanding the temporary applause of these multitudes, 
the Son of man is never to be exalted in this world, but 



( 2 ) If V e have faith as a grain of musiard- 
seed, Qc] This is proverbially spoken, contrast- 
ing the smallness of the principle with the great- 
ness of the effect. The grain of mustard-seed 
(here so forcibly opposed to the hugeness of the 
mountain it was to remove) was commonly 
spoken of among the Jews as the least of things 
(see Section LI I., Note 2) ; and one of their 
sayings to express any difficult thing, was, u He 
is a rooter up of mountains" (see Zech. iv. 7). 



Faith is not here used in its ordinary sense, but 
for a strong persuasion of the power of working 
miracles, as it also is by St. Paul, when he classes 
it with the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit and 
separates it from Charity (which cannot be said 
of that justifying faith which worketh by love) : 
" Though I have all faith, so that I could remove 
mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing" 
(1 Cor. xiii. 2). 



THE TRIBUTE MONEY PAID BY MIRACLE. 



185 



a We have heard out of 
the law that Christ abideth 
for ever ; and how sayest 
Thou, The Son of man 
must be lifted up ? John 



shall shortly be delivered into the hands of men, and they 
shall kill Him, and after that He is killed, He shall rise 
the third day. — But still they understood not this say- 
ing/ W and it was hid from them (obscured by their pre- 
judices) that they perceived it not; for they could in no 
way reconcile what was told them with the received opinion 
that the Messiah should not die : and yet, remembering 34 
that He had so repeatedly declared it to them, and had 
rebuked Peter for dissuading Him from it, they feared to 
ask Him of the import of that saying; and they were 
exceeding sorry at the very thought of their beloved Master 
suffering a violent death and being parted from them. 

And He came back to Capernaum; and when they 
were come to Capernaum, they that received the tribute 
money D (2) for the service of the Temple, came to Peter and b This they shall give, 
said, Doth not your Master pay tribute ? is it not His cus- among ^tLm^thl^are 
torn to do so? He saith, Yes. And when he was come X^thf shekel otthe 
into the house, Jesus, who knew what had occurred, pre- sanctuary; an half she- 
vented (anticipated) him, saying first, What thinkest thou, the Lord. Every one 
Simon, that it is fitting for Me to do ? Of whom do the Z TlLZTJ, tZ 
kings of the earth (earthly monarchs) take custom or tri- twenty years old and 

i . A /• 1 • i ., , „ , above, shall give an offer- 

bute ? oi their own children, or of strangers who own in g unto the Lord. Exod. 
not their paternal sway? Peter saith unto Him, Surely, "Jji 8 '^ made 0 rdi- 
Lord, they receive it of strangers. Jesus said unto him, nance , s for us > t0 char § e 

° > ourselves yearly with the 

Ihen are the children free from the obligation to make such third part of a shekel for 
payments: and the tribute, now demanded for the service of Sawajd °Neh? x^S 6 
God's Temple, need not be paid by Me, ivho am His Son 
and greater than the Temple. 0 Notwithstanding, lest we c But i say unto you 
should offend them, d and give a handle for saying that we that in J™ ?\ ace is °, ne 

' ° ° u ° greater than the temple. 

undervalue the Temple or its sacred services, go thou down Matt. xu. 6. 
to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that * Giving no offence in 
first cometh up, and when thou hast opened his mouth a ^ZuLTT£v. 



thou shalt find there a piece of money ( 3 ) sufficient for the 
purpose (a stater or shekel) : that take, and give it unto 
them for Me and thee, as inhabitants of this place. 



try 
vi. 



(') They understood not this saying. ~\ The 
Apostles could not but be acquainted with the 
prophecies, some of which plainly foretell a suf- 
fering Messiah ; but to meet these the Scribes* 
bad invented the distinction of Messiah Ben 
Joseph who should die, and of Messiah Ben 
David who was to triumph and live for ever. 

( 2 ) The tribute money. ] All Israelites above 
twenty years of age, throughout the world, were 
expected to pay half a shekel or didrachmon 
(value Is. 3d.) as an annual contribution to- 
wards the expenses of the Temple Service. In 
the time of Nehemiah the payment was some- 
thing less. Though only established by custom, 
Josephus mentions that the payment of this tri- 
bute was regular in his time ; and it was one of 



their national mortifications that, on the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, Vespasian transferred the tax 
to the Capitol, so that the worshipper of Jehovah 
was taxed for the support of idolatry. 

( 3 ) Thou shalt find a piece of money. J This 
would be the stater or shekel, value two shillings 
and sixpence of our money. We may suppose 
that the coin had fallen into the sea, and had 
been swallowed by the fish. Many instances are 
on record of jewels, coins, &c, being found in 
the bellies of fish, which are apt to be soon 
attracted by anything glittering. By whatever 
means the coin was lodged in the mouth of this 
fish, Omniscience alone could discover it there, 
and Omnipotence alone secure its being brought 
to Peter's hook. 



186 



SECTION LXXV. 

Jesus reproves the Apostles for their worldly spirit; warning 
them also against offences towards their brethren, and 
teaching forgiveness by the parables of the lost sheep 
and the unmerciful servant. 

Matt, xviii. 1—35. Mark ix. 33—50. Luke ix. 46—50. 



A ND being in the house, He asked them (His disciples), 
±jl About what was it that ye disputed among yourselves 
by the way ? But they, — ashamed to confess that neither 
the improvement of themselves nor of others had been the 
subject of consideration, — held their peace ; for by the way 
there arose a reasoning among them, and they had disputed 
» They said unto Him, among themselves which of them should be the greatest. a 

Grant that we may sit, the m, n i ± t\ ± t 7 r 7 ? 

one on Thy right hand, The preference shown to Peter, James, and John, on several 
h^d^Ti^ygC^Mark ^ e occasions, had excited feelings of pride in the bosoms of 
x. 37. those Apostles, and of envy and emulation among the rest ; 

strife among them which while all of them supposed, that when the rule of the Jews 
coun^eT S the ld greatest" over °^ aer nations commenced under their Master's reign, 
Luke xxii. 24. they should be advanced to posts of distinction and honour. 

When they therefore . » 

were come together, they And Jesus, perceiving the carnal thought of their heart, 
TLmd, w?it Thou ITtill sat down, and called the twelve around Him, and saith unto 
time restore again the them, If any man desire to be first in My kingdom, the 

kingdom to Israel? Acts J * * 7 

i. 6. same shall be (must be as) the last of all, and servant of all. 

At the same time the disciples came (were coming of 
their own accord) unto Jesus, saying unto Him, without 
quteted h m7seif h ara d chiid an y concealment of their ambitious views, Who is to be the 
that is weaned of bis mo- greatest and to have the chief dignity in the kingdom of 
weaned child. Ps.cxxxi. heaven ? And Jesus called a little child unto Him — the 
2 in malice be ye chii- fittest emblem that could be chosen of humility and simplicity 
dren. 1 Cor. xiv. 20. 0 f mind ; for, thouqh it be evil in its nature, Childhood knows 

As new-bom babes de- . j . n 7777 7 A i 

sire the sincere milk of not ana cares not for worldly honours or precedence. And 
grow^thereb^ 8 * iVeLYi. wnen He had first taken him up in His arms to caress him, 
2 - He took and set him by Him in the midst of them, and 

c Verily, verily, I say said (1 ) unto them, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be 

unto thee, Except a man ,-1/7 in 7, \ -1 i » 

be born again, he cannot converted (changed from what you are), and become as free 
j e ohn h ni k 3! 8dom ° f G ° d ' f rom such carnal Noughts as little children are, h ye shall 
. TT , , , . , not enter at all into the kinsrdom of heaven. 0 Whosoever 

d He that humbleth . 0 

himself shall be exalted, therefore shall humble himself (shall become as confiding and 
Ll Humbie 1 yourselves in simple-minded) as this little child, the same is as the greatest 
the sight of the Lord, j n the kingdom of heaven. d And whosoever shall cordially 

and He shall lift you up. m f> m * 

James iv. 10. receive this child, or one of such little children (the weakest 



( J ) He set him in the midst of them, and said.] 
This method of instructing by emblems and 
symbolical actions was prevalent in the East 
(see also John xiii. 4, 14 ; xx. 22 ; xxi. 18, 19). 
Ecclesiastical tradition has noticed that this 



child was Ignatius, the afterwards-distinguished 
martyr and Bishop of Antioch : but it should 
be observed that the first writer who mentions 
this is Anastasius, at the close of the ninth 
century. 



THE APOSTLES ARE TAUGHT. 



187 



or meanest of My disciples) in My name, in effect receiveth e He that receiveth you 

•mm ix7j77 /» • TTTi receiveth Me, and he that 

Me; and, as 1 have tola you on a former occasion, VVnoso- receiveth Me receiveth 
ever shall receive Me, receiveth not Me alone, but likeivise Him that sent Me. Matt. 
Him that sent Me. e For he that is least among you all f a^w,^,,™ 

~ J * And there ran a young 

in his own esteem, the same shall be great in Mine, and man and to]d Moses, and 

, . „ -mm- T . j said,Eldad and Medad do 

sAa/j become at last an honoured member of My kingdom. prophesy in the camp. 

And John, here interrupting, answered Him by putting J °Se a ' sorant 11 of 
the case of such as used His name without authority ; and Moses, one of his young 

" m m " men, answered and said, 

enquiring as to the necessity of receiving or acknowledging My lord Moses, forbid 

,7 ■ j -\r . 7 . 7 , i •! • them. And Moses said 

these, said, Master, we lately saw one casting out devils m unto him, Enviest thou for 
Thv name,^ and (but) he folio weth not us as one of Thy "g^f would God tbat 

p v ' _ ^ v all the Lord s people were 

regular disciples ; and we forbad him to cast out any more prophets, and that the 

demons, because he followeth not Thy ministry with us. U po n 'them. pU Numh. F 2 

But Jesus immediately repressed this officious and mistaken 27 ^! Tefore j you 

zeal of John, and said unto him, Forbid him not now; for to understand, that no man 

. . -t'l-ini * i * *\ /f can sav tnat Jesus is the 

there is no man which shall do a miracle m My name, Lord hut by the Holy 
thereby discerning its efficacious power, that can lightly Gh s ° o s ^ e 1 ^ adL p J^ dh 
speak [be easily induced to speak) evil of Me. For he that Ckrist even of enT 7 ^ 

. . * . 7 7 . strife, and some also of 

is not against us, is on our part: t( } he aids our work in goodwill: the one preach 
destroying Satan's kingdom, and, although he has not My S^She? o?ioYe & °\hat 
express commission, is to be esteemed as one that doeth God ihen? Notwithstanding 

every way, whether in pre- 



service. For whosoever shall do you the smallest service, tence or in truth, Christ is 

7 7 f. i i • i • *»/r preached, and I therein'" 

ana give you only a cup or water to drink, in My name rejoice, yea, and will j 

and because ye belong to Christ, (4) verily I say unto you, j° lce - PhlL L 15— 1S - 



( 2 ) We saw one casting out devils in Thy 
name, <|-c] This was probably one of the 
Baptist's disciples. Though he did not follow 
Jesus, his success in invoking the name of the 
expected Saviour shows how r extensive was its 
power. God might see reasons, upon the usher- 
ing in of the Gospel, for granting such success, 
though it was denied when the evidences were 
more fully and distinctly proposed, after the 
descent of the Holy Spirit. See the unsuc- 
cessful case of the sons of Sceva, Acts xix. 
13—16. 

( 3 ) For he that is not against us is on our 
part.] Our Lord, on a former occasion, had 
used a different and seemingly-opposite proverb : 
fe He that is not with Me, is against Me" (Matt, 
xii. 30 ; see Sect. XLVII.) : but both are con- 
sistent. In the former admonition He warns 
His hearers that the contest between Himself 
and Satan admitted of no neutrality, and that for 
their men safety believers must profess and act 
up to the Gospel, since indifference would class 
them among His enemies. The proverb on this 
occasion reminds us, that many who are ignorant 
of the truth of the Gospel do not oppose it, and 
may hereafter wish well to and promote it ; that 
therefore we are always to 'judge with candour 
and charity of the characters and actions of our 
f ello w- creatures. 

From this passage we also gather, that as any 
teaching of religion is better than none at all, so 
it is better for the duly-ordained Minister to be 
content with carrying out the pure and Catholic 
principles of the Church, without making any- 
extraordinary or violent efforts to silence unau- 
thorised teachers. Yet still, what was allowed 



I in the infancy of the Gospel, and is to be allowed 
now in extreme cases, is no argument against 
a general rule. St. Paul rejoiced that Christ 
was preached " even through envy and strife" 
(see Phil. i. 15, 16), but no man should chuse 
to be found in the list of St. Paul's envious 
and contentious preachers. — Perhaps there never 
was a time when men were so blind, as now, to the 
guilt of schism, and so little recognised the exist- 
ence of the Church as a regular and visible 
society. We see the fences of the Spiritual 
sheep-fold scaled on every side by a crowd of 
ill-informed, however well-meaning volunteers, 
who intrude themselves with unfortunate rashness 
into an office, even the proper duties of which are 
only to be learned by experience. On no sub- 
ject are the Scriptures more express than in con- 
demning such rashness. Under the Old Cove- 
nant we read the fate of Korah and his followers 
(who were what would now be called laymen, 
and had accused Moses and Aaron of a sort of 
priestcraft): they were confident they were in 

j the right, but their indiscreet forwardness met 
with its awful chastisement. Then in the Neto 

I Testament, how strong is the warning, " Be not 

| many masters, knowing that we shall receive the 
greater condemnation" (Jas. iii. 1). Again, those 
are described to be perilous times, when men 
"having itching ears shall heap to themselves 
teachers" (2 Tim. iv. 3) ; and no man is to pre- 
sume to take this honour to himself, but he that 
is regularly called thereto as Aaron was. — See 
Section XLL, Note 3. 

( 4 ) Because ye belong to Christ.] In the Ori- 
ginal we nearly always find it written, " the 
Christ," but here the Article is omitted in the 



188 



WARNING AGAINST OFFENCES, 



s And whosoever shall He shall not lose his reward :£ how much more highly 

give to drink unto one of ,, ., . . 7 , 77 7 7 . 

these little ones a cup of then is that man to be esteemed, who, under peculiar cir- 
coid water only m the cums t a nces and when labourers are few, aids in My work. 

name ot a disciple, verily *> 3 3 7 

i say unto you, he shall and promulgates the honour of My name. But on the other 

in no wise lose his reward. 7 , TT1 in re i r ,i v.-** 

Matt. x. 42. hand, Whosoever shall olrend one 01 these little ones 

sw^ln^^SlSILm; which believe in Me— tempting the humblest of My dis- 
veriiy i say "unto you, in- ciples to sin, and occasioning their fall, either by bad 

asmuch as ye have done .. . % r 

it unto one of the least of example, or sophistry, or persecution, — it were better lor 
have done it ^imto *Me! nuicl sures t destruction now befel him ; even that a 

Matt. xxv. 40. millstone were hanged about his neck/ 5 ) and that he were 

cast into and drowned in the depth of the sea. Wo unto 
the world because of such offences and obstructions to the 
b For there must he also Gospel: for it must needs be — through the wickedness of 
heresies among you, that man an ^ j-fe aouse 0 f fas f ree agency it is guite unavoidable 

they which are approved • -u 

may be made manifest — that offences come ; h but wo to that man by whom 
among you. or. xi. ^ rou ^ w j wse a g enC y) the offence cometh. 

i And they shall go forth Wherefore call to mind what I said upon the Mount : 
and look upon the carca- You must be prepared to give up whatever is most useful 

ses of the men that have 7 7 , . ... . , , , 

transgressed against Me: or most dear rather than commit sin: if thy right hand 
dte/^TSi S Sfire offend thee by ministering to evil, cut it off, and cast it 
be quenched, isa. lxvi. f rom t h ee .(6) ^ j s b e tter for thee to enter into Life maimed 

24. 

And he cried and said, {mutilated), rather than having two hands to go into hell, — 

Father Abraham, have . . , . /- t_ n -l t_t t. j 

mercy on me, and send into the nre that never shall be quenched ; where, accord- 
)h& tip S ofiii^fSglr^ri ^ n 9 ^° ^ e l an 9 ua 9 e °f ^ e prophet, their worm dieth not 
water and cool my tongue, as it does with frail and perishable bodies now, and where 

for I am tormented in this . r 7 . n 7 7 . 7 , „ y r . 

flame. Luke xvi. 24. the fire, not needing fuel like that of Hmnom, is not 
oFeteSaS 6 JufeT 6 quenched i ^ through all eternity. And if thy foot offend 
And the smoke of their thee, carrying thee into evil company or among forbidden 

torment ascendeth up for 7 v, v ^ r v v J 

ever and ever, and they pleasures, cut it on; it is better for thee to enter halt 
Rr.xr S iL ayn ° rni8ht ' Qame) into Life, than having two feet to be cast into 



most accurate Versions, giving rise to the pro- 
bable supposition that even during our Saviour's 
lifetime the word had become a proper name, 
although its appellative use as designating office 
and dignity was both more correct and more 
frequent. At the commencement of their 
Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and John simply say 
"Jesus Christ;" but they do it in that place 
merely for the sake of distinction, to identify 
Him whose history they were writing; for at 
that time the name of Jesus (though now, out 
of respect to our Lord, never given as a bap- 
tismal name) was common among the Jews. Our 
Version, being taken chiefly from the Lathi 
which has no Article, often omits it before the 
word Christ, though it is remarkable that it 
almost invariably says " the Baptist." 

( 5 ) That a millstone were hanged about his 
neck, <|-c.] This was an ancient punishment, 
especially among the Syrians. Among the Jews 
the phrase became proverbial for inevitable de- 
struction, and according to one authority, they 
sometimes punished sacrilegious persons in this 
mode, viz. : "in mare Sodomce dejicere lapide 
annexo." To make a body sink in the upbear- 
ing waters of the Dead Sea, it would be abso- 
lutely necessary to fasten a weight to it : this 



has been proved by very recent experiments 
there. The millstone spoken of in the text 
was of a large size, the original expression con- 
veying the sense of a mill wrought, not by hand, 
but by an ass. 

( 6 ) Cut it off, and cast it from thee.'] See Sec- 
tion XLL, Note 16. 

(?) Where their worm dieth not, In the 

valley of Hinnom, where children had been for- 
merly sacrificed in the fire to Moloch, the Jews 
kept fires continually burning to consume dead 
carcasses (see Section XLL, Note 13). Thus it 
was emblematical of Gehenna, or hell, in the 
eternal punishments of which we know, from 
Josephus and others, that the Jews believed. 
Thus our Lord, by this reference to their method 
of disposing of the dead, spoke of what they 
perfectly understood. — A figurative allusion to 
the worm of a corroding conscience, as torment- 
ing the wicked hereafter, is not excluded by a 
literal interpretation of this passage ; and one of 
the ancients strongly expresses this thought, by 
saying that " the marrow of the backbone of a 
wicked man turned into a fierce serpent." — On 
the Eternity of Future Punishments, see Sec- 
tion CXIV., Note 10. 



WARNING AGAINST OFFENCES. 



189 



xviii. 19. 

And thou shalt offer 
them before the Lord, and 



ne H ? — into the fire that never shall be quenched, where k And every oblation of 
their worm dieth not, and where the fire is not quenched. 

thou season with salt; 

And if thine eye offend thee, inciting thee to lust or envy, te\lTLtZ^t 

pluck it out and cast it from thee ; it is better for thee to thy God to be lacking 

, T ;r. i *»/^«iTi/r -l • from thy meat offering; 

enter into Life [into the Kingdom ot (rod, MarkJ with with ail thine offerings 

one eye, rather than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell- tho^hait offer salt. Lev. 

fire, where their worm dieth not, and where the fire (their — ? is a covenant of 

salt for ever before the 

fire) is not quenched. For every one of those offenders Lord unto thee and to thy 
shall be salted with fire; (8) and, as the Law requires that 
every sacrifice {the flesh of every animal sacrificed) shall be 

salted with salt k , to preserve it as a sacred offering from the priests shall cast salt 

corruption, so shall they be preserved entire that they may 24? n e ™ ze m ' 

endure for ever in torment. Salt is a good thing, but if the 1 if the salt have lost 

-i,! i, 77 •••7i m his savour, wherewith shall 

salt have lost his saltness and become insipid, wherewith i t be salted? it is thence- 
will ye season it? 1 And so what can renew you, if, by ^ S Ssf out anfS^n 
retaining your offending members and corrupt affections, your under foot of meD. Matt 
Christianity shall lose its savour ? you will be like a sacri- 
fice without salt, and can never become acceptable to God. alway with grace, season- 
Have, therefore, this excellent salt,— the preserving and edwithsalt - CoLiv - 6 - 
purifying principle of Christian piety and self-denial, — in n J f i \. he . possible as 

r j j a jt x •/ -* ^ u J much as lieth m you, live 

yourselves ; m and, as an evidence of it, cease henceforth peaceably with ail men. 

from these worldly disputings, and have peace, which is the °B e oTone mind, live in 

great bond of unity, one with another." J--£j 

Take heed therefore that ye despise not one of these you. 2cor.xm.11. 

, 77 7 ,7 7 » 7 7- 77 7 Follow peace with all 

little ones, regardless whether ye place stumbling-blocks in men, and holiness, without 

their way : for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels 0 t ^ ic L h or n d ° I JS^ 1 J B 

(those holy spirits who minister unto them) do always be- o The angel of the Lord 

hold the face of My Father (9) which is in heaven, waiting encampeth round about 

TT . . 7 .i'-liipai them that fear Him, and 

to receive His gracious commands on their behalf. Ana you deiivereth them. Ps. 

have a greater instance still of the divine condescension and 2D T V- 1* , . . 

& t Are they not all mims- 

love manifested towards them ; for the Son of man is come terin g spirits, sent forth to 

, , 7 minister for them who 

to save even that which was lostP— much more to watch shall be heirs of saiva- 

over and preserve the least of His redeemed from evil. How tl0n? Heb " 1- 14- 

think ye? consider how it is in the ordinary occurrences p For God sent not His 

J u Son into the world to 
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John iii. 17. — This is a faithful saying and 
worthy of all acceptation, That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Tim. i. 15. 



( 8 ) For every one shall be salted with fire.~\ 
The literal interpretation of this difficult passage 
(as given above) carries with it the greatest 
weight of authority. Yet there is a good figur- 
ative sense, which the illative particle, For, 
(referring it, as in the case of the words follow- 
ing the Lord's Prayer, to something further back 
in the discourse,) does not exclude. On this 
supposition, " every one," in the passage, would 
mean every disciple of Christ. St. Paul says, 
that "the fire shall try every man's work, of what 
sort it is" (1 Cor. iii. 13); and St. Peter, that 
faith shall be "tried with fire," as gold is 
purged in the furnace (1 Pet. i. 7 ; iv. 12). The 
text therefore may teach us, figuratively, that in 
the same manner as Salt was indispensable to 
the typical sacrifices, to render them pure and 
incorrupt for God's table, so, to the Spiritual 
Sacrifice, that of the Christian heart, the "fiery 



trials" and mortifications of life (though not 
invariably producing their effect, for Salt can 
lose its efficacy) are the seasoning which eat the 
principle of corruption out of it, and make it, as 
St. Paul describes, " a sacrifice acceptable, well- 
pleasing to God" (Phil. iv. 18).— Whether the 
literal, or the figurative, sense be preferred, the 
same momentous inference may be drawn: both 
alike teach the imperative necessity of a conduct 
answerable to our Christian calling. 

( 9 ) Their angels do always behold the face of 
My Father. ] That every good man had a par- 
ticular guardian angel to watch over him was a 
common notion among the Jew's, and it has been 
supposed, from Acts xii. 15, that the disciples 
believed it. Several of the Fathers and some 
eminent Moderns have retained the doctrine, but 
it is not now generally supported. — See Section 
X, Note 2, on the general Ministry of Angels. 



190 



THE PARABLE OF THE LOST SHEEP. 



i Thou shait not hate of life : If a man have a flock of an hundred sheep, and 
TLa^dt^^wise one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety 
rebuke thy neighbour and anc | nme sa f e fa their pastures, and goeth into the moun- 

not suffer sin upon him. J . . -\ a i •<» 

Lev. xix. 17. tains and seeketh that which is gone astray ? And if so 

Debate thy cause with . .i . i ■ r t -it a. i • • 

thy neighbour himself, be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoicetn more, 
to Another 1 Trov/xx? f or ^ e moment, at the recovery of that one sheep, than at 
9. the security of the ninety and nine which went not astray. 

8^nrt^e^SuL eS him S , Like unto this is the regard of God towards all His children; 
h^MSs! 181 ™ and even so it is not the will of your Father < 10 ) which is 
in heaven (it is His highest displeasure), that any one of 

* He that rebuketh a , _ V . f • , /' . . _f_ 

man afterwards shall find these little ones should perish through the wickedness or 
^glect °f ° thers - In V™ r denude, then, for the best 
Prov. xxviii. 23. interests of your fellow creatures, learn to imitate your 

For though I be free n 

from ail men, yet have i great common Benefactor. 

^\7f^u & ilnTe Moreover, in order to avoid offences as much as possible, 
more. i Cor ix. 19 an ^ f Q re f r i eve the weak, if thy brother shall trespass 

Brethren, if any of you < 7 J , . , _ 1 

do err from the truth and against thee, go first and mildly tell him his fault between 

knowXaTL'whic^co™ thee and him alone :<i if he shall so hear thee as to confess 

^ferro/of hisway shaTi ^ s error > an d promise amendment for the future, thou hast 

save a soul from death and gained thy brother r — securing his friendship to thyself as 

shall hide a multitude of 77 >, . 7 t . 7 • Tt . -e i 

sins. James v. 19, 20. well as conferring a lasting advantage on him. rJut it ne 
s One witness shall not w ^ n0 ^ ^ ear thee, then, without hastily despairing of him, 
rise up against a man for take with thee one or two more discreet persons, that, as 
dn, inanylin that he sm- the Law directs, in (at) the mouth of two or three wit- 
"w? witnesses, or°^th e f nesses every word and matter which affects his condem- 
mouth of three witnesses nation may be fairly and perfectly established. 3 And if, 

shall the matter be estab- 

Hshed. Deut. xix. is. after this, he shall continue incorrigible and neglect to hear 

* Sufficient to such a them, tell it in public unto the Church ; (n ) but if he neglect 
man is this punishment to hear evm the ^fafe Church, 1 then let him be unto thee 

wmcn was inflicted of 7 

many : so that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should 
je swallowed up with over-much sorrow. 2 Cor. ii. 6, 7. — Them that sin, rebuke before all, that others also 
may fear. 1 Tim. v. 20. 



( 10 ) It is not the will of your Father, $c.] 
From hence it appears, in contradiction to any 
supposed decrees of God, that even those who 
truly believe in Christ, and are of the number 
of those whom God would save from perishing, 
may still be so " offended " as to fall from the 
faith, and be lost at last. We cannot suppose 
that such dreadful woes would be denounced 
against men for doing what it was impossible they 
could accomplish. 

( n ) Tell it unto the Church.] While Chris- 
tians formed a small body, taken out of the rest 
of a city or nation, the superior ministers of the 
Church solemnly admonished offending members 
in the Lord's name, and corrected those among 
whom differences or scandals had arisen. If the 
offending party refused to regard their censure, 
they could exclude him from their community : 
so in the Corinthian Church, when a member of 
it was living with a person who had been his 
father's wife, St. Paul directs them to cast out 
the man who had done this deed ; and he was to 
be given up to the malice of Satan, that peradven- 



ture the day of adversity might yet lead him to 
repentance (see 1 Cor. v. 1 — 5). But when at 
length congregations increased in number in any 
particular place, presiding elders or bishops were 
set over them by the Apostles. Thus distinct 
churches became named after their localities; 
but though distinct, they still constituted united 
Churches of the One Catholic and Apostolic 
Church : they were One in every other respect. 
So it is said (Acts ii. 47), "the Lord added to 
the Church such as should be saved." From 
some ambiguity in the term " Church," modern 
Separatists have hastily imagined that each sepa- 
rate congregation formed in itself an independent 
Church. — There is a similar ambiguity in the 
term bishop or overseer, and a similar misuse is 
made of it. That Greek term is also applied to 
presbyters or elders, but this does not prove 
that it is not used also in a more exclusive 
sense. The presbyters are overseers of their 
own flock, and there are overseers over the pres- 
byters themselves. Such were Timothy (1 Tim. 
i. 3); and Titus (Tit. i. 5). 



FORGIVENESS ENJOINED. 



191 



as the Jews esteem an heathen man and a publican : u hold 
no more communion with him, for such must be avoided by all 
who have any love of goodness. Verily I say unto all of 
you, My disciples, as I said unto Peter, Whatsoever ye 
shall thus bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and 
whatsoever ye shall thus loose on earth shall be loosed in 
heaven your solemn determinations, whether as to ex- 
communication of incorrigible offenders or re-admission of 
the penitent, I will ratify. Again I say unto you, That if 
two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that 
they shall ask in My name for their guidance in any such 
determinations, it shall be done for them of My Father 
which is in heaven. v For where two or three {even a few) 
are gathered together in My name, requesting any good 
gift or blessing for My sake, there am I invisibly present 
In the midst of them w(13) to aid their petitions and to inter- 
cede with the Father on their behalf. 

Then Peter, — struck with the novelty of the command 
that universal forbearance must be shewn to offenders, or 
thinking it might be abused by wicked men, — came to Him 
arid said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, 
and I continue to forgive him ? must I do so till seven 
times ? X(M) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, 
Until seven times, but, Until seventy times seven — even as 
often as he offends and truly repents ; for he must sooner be 
wearied with offending than thou with pardoning. 

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven to be likened, in 
this respect, unto a certain king which would take account 
of {settle accounts with) those of his servants who were 
appointed to collect his revenue. And when he had begun 
to reckon with them, one was brought unto him, which 
owed him ten thousand talents (15 ^ of silver: but forasmuch 

And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day 
I repent, thou shalt forgive him. Luke xvii. 4. 



u Now I beseech you, 
brethren, mark them 
which cause divisions and 
offences contrary to the 
doctrine which ye have 
learned, and avoid them. 
Rom. xvi. 17. 

Now we command you, 
brethren, in the name of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that ye withdraw your- 
selves from every brother 
that walketh disorderly. . . 
And if any man obey not 
our word by this epistle, 
note that man, and have 
no company with him that 
he may be ashamed. 2 
Thess. hi. 6, 14. 

If there come any unto 
you and bring not this 
doctrine, receive him not 
into your house, neither 
bid him God speed. 2 
John 10. 

v And whatsoever ye 
shall ask in My name, 
that will I do, that the 
Father may be glorified 
in the Son. If ye shall 
ask any thing in My name 
I will do it. John xiv. 
13, 14. 

Hitherto have ye asked 
nothing in My name : ask 
and ye shall receive, that 
your joy may be full. 
John xvi. 24. 

w Then the same day at 
evening, being the first 
day of the week, when the 
doors were shut where 
the disciples were assem- 
bled for fear of the Jews, 
came Jesus and stood in 
the midst and saith unto 
them, Peace be unto you. 
John xx. 19. 

x Many a time turned 
He His anger away, and 
did not stir up all His 
wrath. Ps. lxxviii. 38. 
turn again to thee, saying, 



( 12 ) Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, <^c.] 
See Section LXX., Note 5. 

( 13 ) Where two or three are gathered together 
in My name, c§fc. ] These words, with the pro- 
mise they contain, have reference, in their strict 
and primary sense, to the Apostles as such, and 
to the execution of their important office. But, 
like other passages in this discourse and else- 
where, they may in a qualified sense be applied 
to Christians— such, at least, as are really united 
in the faith — in every age. They seem to contain 
a general promise in encouragement of Social 
Prayer, more especially under trying and pecu- 
liar circumstances. It was said by the Rabbi- 
nical writers, that " Wherever two sat conversing 
on the Law, there the Shechinah was among 
them." 

This passage has been quoted as countenancing 
meetings apart from the Church, and even as 
justifying street-preaching ; but it by no means 
follows that men meet in the name of Christ, be- 



cause they say or even think they do so. Our 
Lord Himself warns us that "many shall come 
in His name, and shall deceive many." 

(J*) Till seven times?] A number commonly 
used to denote frequency (see Ps. cxix. 164; 
Prov. xxiv. 16). From a kindred passage at 
Luke xvii. 3, 4, it seems clear that Forgiveness 
of an offending brother (one with whom we are 
particularly connected) is conditional on his re- 
pentance: for such Forgiveness implies restoration 
to former friendship and affection. And the duty 
of shewing ' Love to Enemies' is not thereby con- 
tradicted; for with mankind in general this is 
practicable, even while they persist in their en- 
mity. Different persons and duties are spoken of. 

( 1S ) Ten ihovsand talents.] The talent was 
the highest denomination of money, and, on the 
lowest computation, this sum would amount to 
1,875,000/. : to more than double, by the Jewish 
talent. The hundred pence due to the impla- 
cable servant would only amount to 3/. 2s. 6d. 



192 



THE PARABLE OF THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT. 



as he had not wherewithal to pay, his lord commanded 
him, according to the custom of the East, to be sold as a 
slave, and also his wife and children and all that he had, 
y — he should make and some payment of the debt to be made? with the price of 
te if s h e a « a b: *hem. The servant therefore fell down and worshipped 
sold. Exod. xxh. 3. n i m (prostrated himself at his feet. Gr.), saying, Lord, have 

The creditor is come to . r /_ • 7 J ' n J b ' ' 

take my two sons to be patience with me, and 1 will do my utmost endeavour to pay 

bondmen. 2 Kings iv. ^ ^ rju^ ^ ^ q{ ^ §ervant was moved with 

—which of my creditors compassion towards Mm, and loosed (discharged) him. and 

is it to whom I have sold 1 . ' J- , 

you? isa. 1. 1. freely forgave him the whole debt. But the same servant, 

who had been thus nobly dealt with by a gracious master, 
went out and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed 
him an hundred pence : and he laid hands fiercely on him, 
and took him by the throat to drag him to the magistrate, 
saying, Pay me without further delay that which thou 
owest me. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, 
and in like manner earnestly besought him, saying, Have 
patience with me, and in time I will pay thee all. And he 
would not wait nor show the least forbearance, but went 
and cast him into prison, till he should pay the last far- 
thing of the debt. 

So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they 
were very sorry for the unhappy debtor, and shocked at 
such inhuman cruelty; and they came and faithfully told 
unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after 
that he had called (summoned) him, said unto him, O thou 
wicked servant, I freely forgave thee all that great debt, 
because thou so piteously desiredst me so to do, Shouldest 
not thou also have had compassion on thy poor fellow - 
* Whoso stoppeth his servant, even as I had pity on thee ? And his lord was 

ears at the cry of the poor, ver7 . wro th with him* and, revoking his former release from 

he also shall cry himself, J f 5 iJ J J 

but shall not be heard, the debt, delivered him over to the tormentors (gaolers), till 

For he shall have judg- 

he should pay all that was due unto him. — So likewise shall 
htth Zhowfi no'mercy Mv heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts 
James ii. 13. forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. 2 (16) 



( 16 ) So likewise shall My Heavenly Father do 
also unto you, 8[;c.~\ In this Parable three things 
are set in opposition : namely, the lord to his ser- 
vant, an immense sum to a trifle, and the most 
extraordinary clemency to the greatest cruelty. 
— Thus, what are men compared with God ? 
how vast a debt of sin we owe Him, which we 
are totally unable to pay (see Ps. xlix. 7, 8); 
how trifling, comparatively speaking, are the 
offences which our brethren commit against us ! 
The debt of the unmerciful servant, for which 
he received a full and free discharge, was six 
hundred thousand times as much as what he re- 



fused to remit. Nothing can more strongly con- 
trast the never-failing mercy of God with the 
frequent severity of man ; it silences what- 
ever justification or palliation of revenge in- 
genuity may draw, either from the nature or 
number of the offences committed or the dignity 
of the injured parties. We also learn from this 
Parable, that God's pardons in this life are not 
absolute; but (according to the petition of the 
Lord's prayer) are in some measure conditional 
upon our dealings with others. We may, by not 
performing the condition, forfeit our pardon and 
so our sins again become charged upon us. 



193 



SECTION LXXVI. 
The seventy disciples receive a charge and are sent forth. 

Luke x. 1— 12, 16. 

AFTER these things the Lord appointed, in addition to 
the twelve Apostles, other Seventy (1) [Seventy others) 
also of His disciples; and sent them before His face, by 
two and two, a — that so they might give mutual assistance a Two are better than 

T7 ., , . 7 . . ., t i one, because they have a 

and be witnesses one to another, — into every city and place g00( i re ward for their ia- 
whither He Himself, when on His way to Jerusalem, would o^winiift^up w/miow 
afterwards come. Eccies. iv. 9, 10. 

Therefore, — because they were entering on so large a 
field of service, — He said unto them, The harvest truly is 
great and plenteous, but the labourers to gather it in are 
few (Many souls wait for instruction, but few are able to 
give it them) : pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, 
that He will direct men's hearts to undertake this work of 
mercy, and that He would send forth more labourers into 
His harvests Go your ways, and be stedfast and zealous pra b y f ^ u f^ t the word 
in your work: behold, I send you forth on an employ- of the Lord may have free 

. j, „ „ .-, . jJ, , . , i course. 2 Thess. iii. 1. 

ment jull oj peril, even as inoffensive lambs sent among 

crafty wolves. Yet, as you are under the care of Divine uiemfm^ i § sent "you 

Providence, carry neither purse for money, nor scrip for wi ?°i lt pu f e i' a ? d scri P» 

, . J sr . J i «/ and shoes, lacked ye any 

provisions, nor shoes 0 (2) save those which you wear; and, thing? And they said, 

77 7 .. . -, . , . . 7 Nothing. Luke xxii. 35. 

as your allotted time is short, salute no man ceremoniously 

by the way, d ( 3 ) for such needless forms will only detain you m l?L^nll\uteUm 

from your main business. And into whatsoever house ye not, and if any salute thee, 

J answer him not again. 

enter, first say, according to the usual form of salutation, 2 Kings iv. 29. 

Peace be to this house. e And if the son of Peace (4) (a wor- e p eaC e on earth, and 

thy person) be there, the benefit of your peace shall rest f^j^ 10 *"* m<m ' 

upon it ; if he be not worthy, your peace shall not be lost, t go gha]] My word h& 

but it shall turn to you again f in blessings on your own that goeth forth of My 

z,„^7 *' 1 • . v i ,. T7 7 ,/i mouth: it shall not return 

neaas. And m the same house remain till ye depart jrom unto Mevoid. isa. iv. 11. 
that place, eating and drinking such things as they have to . 4 M y. P ra ~ vei : return « l 

. ° y & J into mine own bosom. Ps. 

give ; and this you may do without scruple, for you bestow xxxv. 13. 



( 1 ) The Lord appointed other Seventy. ] Moses 
selected Seventy Elders as his coadjutors in the 
government (Numb. xi. 16), which may account 
for the number of disciples here appointed ; and 
upon those Elders the Jewish Lawgiver was per- 
mitted to confer in some degree the spirit of 
Prophecy, as our Lord here confers Miraculous 
power on the Seventy disciples. So the number 
of the Apostles " sent to visit all nations" may 
correspond with the twelve messengers sent by 
Moses to visit the promised Land ; or else, as 
some think, with the twelve patriarchs. — This 
mission of the Seventy was on the same errand 
with the previous one of the Twelve, and their 
powers were the same : but the power, afterwards 
exercised, of conferring the Holy Ghost for the 



edification of the Ministry by laying on of hands, 
belonged only to the Apostles, as it now belongs 
to their successors, the Bishops of the Catholic 
Church. 

( 2 ) Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes. ] 
See Section LIX., Note 3. 

( 3 ) Salute no man by the way.] The saluta- 
tions in the East were somewhat prolix and 
ceremonious, extending on some occasions even 
to prostrations of the body, and consisting of 
long wishes of happiness to the person saluted, 
with particular inquiries concerning his welfare. 

( 4 ) The son of Peace.] This was a common 
Hebraism, by which a man is styled the son of 
any good or bad quality which he possesses. So 
Judas is called "the son of perdition." 

o 



194 



THE SEVENTY ARE SENT FORTH. 



g Even so hath the spiritual nourishment in return, and the labourer is well 

Lord ordained that they . /» -i • i • . c i i 

which preach the Gospel worthy of his hire.s Go not from house to house, as 
lCoi? Lx. e i°4. ^ Gospel * though you were fond of change and solicitous about your 
The workman is worthy comforts. And into whatever city ye enter, and they 

of his meat. Matt. x. 10. \ " . i r U i 

The labourer is worthy receive you, eat such things as are set before you, 11 and 

oHns reward. 1 Tim. v ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ therein3 &nd §ay untQ them ^ The 

h whatsoever is set be- kingdom of God is come nigh unto you, But into what- 

^S'^'^L™ soever city ye enter, and they receive you not and hear 

sake, l Cor. x. 27. no f y 0ur words, openly exhibit this sign that you abandon 

> But they shook off them as obnoxious to God's wrath : go your ways out into 

against them. Acts xiii. the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of 

61 And i heard another Y our cit Y> which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off, i(5) as a 

Voice from heaven, say- testimony against you that we decline all further intercourse 

ing, Come out of her, My 9 & . / . J . 

people, that ye be not par- with you : notwithstanding, be ye sure ol this [know this 

y? e r^vr"not S,a of d h£ assuredly), that the kingdom of God, although ye refuse to 

plagues. Rev. xviii. 4. accept it, is come nigh unto you. But I say unto you 

k And thou Capernaum My disciples, That in that last and terrible Day, ivhen all 

heaven shait be brought shall be brought to their account, it shall be more tolerable 

m^ty^orSwhkhhave ^ or ^ e ^habitants of Sodom, who sinned not against light 

been done in thee had so strong, than for that ungrateful city. k And that you 

been done in Sodom, it 7 . 7 . . ; • _ 

would have remained may be encouraged in your work oj love, 1 make this aecla- 
So^u'fshaube^ ration, He that heareth you as My messengers, in effect 
tolerable for the land of heareth Me, and shall receive proportionate reward for his 

Sodom in the day of judg- ' . i i i • i 

ment, than for thee. Matt, obedience ; and, in like manner, he that despiseth you, 
despiseth Me ; and he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him 

honou^1hfs^n n even U as tnat sent Me X ~ even the bles sed Father in heaven whose 
they honour the Father, credentials I bear, and which I now delegate unto you. 

He that honoureth not 

the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him. John v. 23. — He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not 
man, but God, who hath also given unto us His Holy Spirit. 1 Thess. iv. 8. 



SECTION LXXVII. 

Jesus goes up to the Feast of Tabernacles, and teaches in 

the Temple. 

John vii. 2—53. 

a Speak unto the chil- ATOW the Jews 3 feast of Tabernacles a (1) (a feast kept 
&Zn&Zy7% T t e - -LM chiefly in memory of their forefathers abiding in tents 
yenth month shall be the { n th e Wilderness) was at hand. And it was now some 

X east of Tabernacles unto . .. 1/t TT . 

the Lord. Ye shall dwell time since Jesus had visited Jerusalem: therefore His 
t£at°are isSites^born brethren (His kinsmen) taunted Him with His continued 
shall dwell in booths that absence, and said unto Him, Depart hence from Galilee, 



( 5 ) Even the very dust, &cA See Section 
LIX., Note 4. 

(') The Jews' Feast of Tabernacles.] This 
feast was so called because, while it lasted, the 
Jews dwelt in booths (made of the boughs of 
trees) upon the flat roofs of their houses, in imi- 



tation of the temporary tabernacles of their an- 
cestors in the wilderness. It was called also the 
feast of In-Gathering, because one of its objects 
was to return thanks for the vintage, as well as 
for other fruits which at this time (about the 
beginning of October) were gathered in. 



in his own house, Mark 
vi. 4. 



JESUS GOES UP TO THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES. 195 

if thou art wise and wilt hearken to our counsel; and go your generations may 
into Judea to the approaching feast, that thy disciples in children of israeTtodweH 
that quarter also may see the works that thou doest. For j£ e ^°* s t * \2d^t 
there is no man that doeth anything worthy of note in Egypt. Lev. xxiii. 34, 
secret, and {but) he himself seeketh to be known openly 
{to come into public notice and act with authority) : if there- 
fore thou canst do these things at all times and in any place, 
shew thyself to the world, and convert the rulers and chief 
Pharisees. — For neither did these his brethren yet believe 
in Him, b seeing in Him none of that grandeur which they b Jesus said, a prophet 
had looked for in the Messiah, and that He made no attempt ^ng^s°own°™in!'and 
to raise Himself or His family in the world. 

Then said Jesus unto them, My time for going up to 
Jerusalem and manifesting Myself thus publicly, as you 
suggest, is not yet come : c but there is no hindrance in your e Jesus saith unto her, 

j .. . , j* j. j j mi it Woman, what have I to 

case, ana your time is aiway jit ana ready. 1 he world do with thee, Mine hour 
cannot hate you, A for you take part with it, and do nothing J not J et come - John n - 

to offend it ; but Me it hateth, because I plainly testify of 

. , , i i r The world would love 

it {bear witness concerning it) that the works thereof are his own. John xv. 19. 

evil. e Go ye up therefore, without waiting for Me, unto e And this is the con 

this feast: I go not up yet to this feast, for My most fS^ti^Ji 

suitable time of doing so is not yet full come. — And when men loved darkness rather 

__. , , . • , , J _ 7 than Lioht because their 

He had said these words unto them, He abode a jew days deeds were evil. Johniii. 
more still in Galilee. 19, 

But when His brethren were gone up, then went He 
also up unto the feast ; not openly however, but privately 
and as it were in secret, that He might avoid tumult among 
the people, and frustrate any premature designs of His 
enemies against Him. 

Then the Jews sought for Him at the feast, and said 
one to another, Where is He ? And there was much mur- 
muring {private talking) among the people concerning 
Him : for some said, He is certainly a good man : f others f The multitude took 
said, Nay, but that can hardly be, for he deceiveth {mis- fol 



leadeth) the people, keeping only among the poor and igno- on A ™ ^^^J^ 

rant, and not venturing himself or his doctrines among the God, saying, That a Great 

, T , , . ° Prophet is lisen up among 

wise ana great. — Howbeit no man among His own followers U s, and that God hath vi- 

and well-wishers spake openly, or with freedom, their good ^- ed 16 His people ' LuLe 

opinion of Him, for fear of the rulers of the Jews/ who had g The feared the Jews 

decreed that if any should confess that He were the Christ, for the Jews had agreed 

7 7/7. 7 j j o ,7 alreadv, that if any man 

they should be excluded from the synagogues. did confess that he was 

Now about the midst of the feast/ 2 ) when the appointed Ch * kt ' h f e , sWd be put 

J r ± out oi the synagogue. 

sacrifices were less numerous and the attention of the people Johnix. 22. 
had become less engaged, Jesus went up into the Temple and 
taught. And the Jews, who before had been prejudiced 



( 2 ) About the midst of the feast. ] Thirteen 
young bullocks with other animals (see Numb, 
xxix. 13) were sacrificed on the first day of this 
feast, and the victims gradually decreased in 



number down to the last. This lessening of 
the sacrifices would give the people more leisure 
to attend to Jesus. 

O 2 



196 



JESUS TEACHES IN THE TEMPLE. 



h And when He was against Him, when they now heard Him, marvelled, saying, 

Sy?He °tanght°*tnem U in How knoweth this man letters (3) [How hath he obtained 

^ah^TS^toSed such c° m P lete knowledge of the Scriptures), having never 

and said, whence hath learned h of the Scribes or in the schools ? Jesus answered 

Matt. xiii. 54. them and said, I derive My teaching from no human mas- 

» i do nothing of My- ters : My doctrine is not Mine ( 4 ) {invented by Me), but it 

hath taught ul i^peak is also His that sent Me^from whom I immediately received 

these things. John viii. ^ And Jf aRy man w jU raofoe *0 do His Will, 

For I have not spoken laying aside his carnal prejudices, he shall then be enabled 

of Myself, hut the Father * * . ■, , „ , 

which sent Me, He gave to form a just opinion of My claims ; he shall know of 
?ZX""and e wh^ a i the doctrine k / teach, whether it be of God, or whether I 
should speak. John xii. S p ea k only of My self. There is, however, a very simple 
t why do ye not under- * €S t t° ascertain this : he that speaketh of himself in such 
stand My speech ? even a manner as to offend no one, is commonly one that seeketh 
My wotA. John viii. 43. his own glory ; l but he that seeketh only His glory that 
l . For men t0 . searcl j sent him, the same is a true prophet, and no unrighteous- 
glory. Prov. xxv. 27. ness (no deceit or imposture) is in him. — But see how great 
honour S MjZS^My^ho. & your own insincerity and hypocrisy ! Did not Moses 
nothing. John gi v e you the Law, more especially warning you not to injure 
m The innocent and * ne innocent? and yet none {not one) of you, with all your 
righteous s% thou not. pretended zeal for the Law, truly keepeth the Law. m 
» Then the Pharisees Even now V ou are nieditating a flagrant breach of the sixth 
went out, and held a conn- commandment: I put the question plainly to your con- 

cil against Him, how they . TTT , . , .., . . 

might destroy Him. Matt, sciences, Why go ye about to kill Me ? n 
"am therefore did the Tne people, ivho were not generally privy to the designs 
Jews^persecute Jons, and 0 f the Pharisees, answered to this and said, Thou hast a 
cause He had done these devil 0 {Thou art surely possessed and out of thy senses) : 
jiTv° n i6 heSabbath " dav ' who goeth about to kill thee? Jesus answered and said 

• And many of them un t° some of them, who He knew entertained these designs, 
IT ma? h why d hear & ye ^ e persecute Me, because, when I was last among you, I cured 
him ? John x. 20. the poor cripple at Bethesda on the Sabbath-day : I have 

p Jesus saith unto him, done among you one workP only on that day, and therefore, 
waik. tak And immediately — notwithstanding it was a work of mercy and one quickly 
the man was made whole, performed. — ye all marvel at My boldness, and at once 

and took up his bed and r J J . ^ 7 

walked. And on the same condemn me as a Sabbath-breaker.^ — You do not judge with 
John v. 3 ^, 9^ Sabbath ' common equity; and I will give a proof of your inconsistency : 
q Therefore said some Moses g ave unt o Y ou the precept of Circumcision— (not, it 
of the Pharisees, This should be observed, because it is originally of Moses, (5) but 



nour 
viii. 54 



( 3 ) How knoweth this man letters?} The 
learning or Science chiefly cultivated in Judea 
was the knowledge and interpretation of the 
Scriptures. The original word is literally so 
rendered in our Version at 2 Tim. hi. 15. 

( 4 ) My doctrine is not Mine.] Christ is here 
speaking of Himself as He is a Prophet, sent by 
His Father into the world. The very office of a 
prophet requires that he should not deliver his 
own mind and doctrine, nor seek his own glory, 
hut speak all things in the name, and do all 
things for the glory, of Him that sent him. So 
Balaam declares, that if Balak would give him 
his house full of silver and gold, he could 
not do anything of himself (see Numb. xxiv. 13). 



When, therefore, Christ says " My doctrine is 
not Mine," He speaks not in respect of Know- 
ledge, for "in Christ," says St. Paul, "are hid 
all the treasures of Wisdom" (Col. ii. 3) ; nor in 
respect of Authority, for He elsewhere styles it 
" His Word," and " His Commandment ;" nor in 
respect of His Will, which was always one with 
that of the Father : He only denies, therefore, 
that He spake as a false prophet. 

( 5 ) Not because it is of Moses.j This remark 
that Circumcision was older than the time of 
Moses (see Gen. xvii. 10), may have been intro- 
duced here to show, that had Moses instituted it, 
he would probably have ordered it so that it 
should not interfere with his law of the Sabbath ; 



JESUS TEACHES IN THE TEMPLE. 



197 



of the more ancient fathers, — being continued only by him man is not of God, be. 

n ,77 n Ai 7 \ .7 . . 7 . cause he keepeth not the 

from the days of Abraham) : that precept commands you to Sabbath-day. John ix. 
circumcise on the eighth day ; and ye on the Sabbath-day, 16, 
if it should happen to fall on the eighth day, circumcise a 
man-childS S) If a man, then, on the Sabbath-day may 
receive Circumcision, in order that the ritual law of Moses 
should not be broken ; are ye angry at Me with any shew 
of reason or justice, because I have made a man every whit 
whole {sound throughout) on the Sabbath-day? I consi- 
dered rather the superior law of Charity, which is coeval with 
the human race, and is the great end of all the Divine Laws. 
— Judge not then superficially and according to the outward 
appearance of things, but consider the principle and inhe- 
rent goodness of an action, that so ye may judge righteous 
judgment. 

Then said some of them of Jerusalem, who were better 
acquainted with the designs of the Pharisees, Is not this he 
whom they seek to kill? But lo, he speaketh boldly and 
openly in the Temple itself, and they say nothing unto him ! 
Do the rulers know indeed (are they at last convinced) that 
this is the very Christ, and have they noiv abandoned their 
hostility to him ? Howbeit there is this to be said in oppo- 

.... 7 . , i , , . , , r Is not this the carpen 

sition to his pretensions: we know this man whence he ter'sson? is not his mo 
is, r and that he is the son of Joseph by his wife Mary, but ^ c 5 f edMlirj? Matt 
when Christ cometh, no man knoweth His parentage or s Who shall declare 

whence He is. s His generation? Isa. liii. 

g 

Then Jesus, who knew all their thoughts and cavils, cried 
(spoke aioud) in the Temple as He taught, saying, Ye do in- 
deed, according to your earthly notions, both know Me, and 
ye know whence I am — -for ye are acquainted with My person 
and are aware of My earthly parentage : and yet, notwith- 
standing this, My mission is divine. I am not come, pre- 
tending of Myself to be a prophet; but He that sent Me is 
true to all His predictions and promises, whom ye, with all t 
your boasted zeal, know not, for ye venture to deny His y 0U r GodTyet^e have 
testimony of Me: but I perfectly know Him,* for I am K^^JiJ^ 
from Him, and He hath sent Me as His Ambassador s 2 y n I b kn0 ^. H ^- I10t ' t I 
unto men. Thus have I a much higher original than you you : but I know Him 

•Hap**. s-iawx. ^ 

Then they who were his enemies, enraged that the 
people should listen to such claims, sought to take (to 
apprehend) Him ; but yet no man laid hands on Him, 
because Divine Power restrained them, and His ap- 
pointed hour of being delivered up to their malice was 
not yet come. And many of the people, ivho now heard 



but he left it on its original footing, because " the 
Covenant that was confirmed before of God, the 
Law could not disannul" (see Gal. iii. 17). 
( 6 ) Ye on the Sabbath-day circumcise. ] The 



reason which the Jews gave for this custom was, 
that Circumcision was an affirmative precept, the 
Sabbath a negative one, and that so the former 
made void the latter. 



198 



JESUS TEACHES IN THE TEMPLE. 



Him, and had before seen His miracles, believed on Him, 
and said; When Christ cometh, if He be still to come, will 
He do more miracles than these which this man hath done 
in proof of a divine mission ? 

The chief Pharisees soon heard that the people mur- 
mured (said privately) such things concerning Him : and 
therefore the Pharisees, and with them the chief priests, 
alarmed at His increasing popularity, sent officers at 
once to take Him. — Then, when these were come, Jesus 
said unto them, / well know your purpose, but for the 
persed of judah from the present all machinations of man aqainst Me are in vain : 

four corners of the earth. _ r " 

isa. xi. 12. Yet a little while longer am I with you, and then I go 

and^STES'j™ ( J ascend U P) Unt0 Him that sen t Me hither from Our 

Christ, to the twelve tribes 
which are scattered 
abroad, greeting. James 
i. 1. 



u Then said Jesus again 
unto them, I go My way, 
and ye shall seek Me, and 
shall die in your sius: 
whither I go ye cannot 
come. John viii. 21. 

The days will come 
when ye shall desire to 
see one of the days of the 
Son of man, and ye shall 
not see it. Luke xvii. 22. 

T And He shall set up 
an ensign for the nations, 
and shall assemble the 
outcasts of Israel, and 
gather together the di 



abode in heaven. In your day of calamity ye shall seek 
Me, not for persecution, but for protection, and shall not 
find Me ; for ye " shall die in your sins," and where I then 
am, thither ye cannot come. u 

Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will 
he go, that we shall not be able to find him ? Will he go 
unto the unenlightened Hellenist Jews, now dispersed v 
among the Gentiles (the Greeks), to make proselytes of 
them ; and will he teach even the ignorant and idolatrous 
Gentiles themselves ? What other meaning than this can 
he have ? what manner (what sort) of saying is this that 
he said, Ye shall seek Me and shall not find Me, and 
where I am, thither ye cannot come. 

In the last day, that great day of the feast, w tt> as the 
people were fetching water for the sacrifices with great joy 
and pomp from the fountain of Siloam, Jesus stood where 
He could be readily seen of all, and cried, saying, If any 
man spiritually thirst, let him come unto Me by faith, and 
drink x freely. He that believeth on Me, it shall be with 
him as the Scripture hath in effect said ; Out of his belly 
(from within him — even out of his inmost heart) shall flow 
rivers of living water/ "springing up into everlasting 
life." 

of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well 
of water springing up into everlasting life. John iv. 14. 



w When ye have ga- 
thered in the fruit of the 
land, ye shall keep a feast 
unto the Lord seven days. 
On the first day shall be 
a Sabbath, and on the 
eighth day shall be a Sab- 
bath. Lev. xxiii. 39. 

On the eighth day ye 
shall have a solemn assem- 
bly: ye shall do no servile 
work therein. Numb, 
xxix. 35. 

* Ho, every one that 
thirsteth, come ye to the 
waters, and he that hath 
no money ; come ye, buy 
and eat; yea come, buy 
w r ine and milk without 
money and without price. 
.... Incline your ear unto 
Me, and your soul shall 
live. Isa. lv. 1, 3. 

J And the Lord shall 
guide thee continually, 
and satisfy thy soul in 
drought, and make fat thy 
bones: and thou shalt be 
like a watered garden, and 
like a spring of water 
whose waters fail not. 
Isa. lviii. 11. 

But whosoever drinketh 



( 7 ) In the last day, that great day of the feast.] 
On the seven preceding days the Jews offered 
sacrifices for all the nations of the world, but the 
eighth was a separate solemnity for Israel alone. 
They had a saying that " He who had not seen 
that d&y, had seen no rejoicing." Then was ob- 
served the custom of fetching water, with great 
pomp, from the spring called Siloam, which 
issued from a rock under the Temple : this they 
drank with joyful acclamations in memory of the 
miracle by which the thirst of their fathers was 
relieved in the desert; while, with the sound 
of the trumpet, a portion was brought as a 
drink-offering to the priest to mix with the wine 
of the Sacrifice, and to supplicate rain against 
the approaching seed-time. During this cere- 



mony the people sang, from Isaiah xii. 3, " With 
joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of Sal- 
vation." — The Jews allowed (from Isa. lv. 1 ; 
Zech. xiii. 1), that this water was emblematical 
of the Holy Spirit, who (they expected) would fall 
upon them — as they allege that the Spirit did on 
the prophet Jonas while engaged in this very 
action. As it was always our Lord's custom to 
draw spiritual instruction from sensible occur- 
rences, He takes occasion of the circumstance 
of water being thus brought from Siloam, to re- 
mind them of Isaiah's prophecy (in the 55th 
Chap.), and summons them to come to Himself 
as the " True Fountain of Living W ater," in op- 
position to the broken cisterns provided by men. 



THE OFFICERS ARE WITHHELD FROM APPREHENDING JESUS. 199 



But (And) this spake He of the Holy Spirit, 2 which z For i will pour water 

v 7 . . 1117 n. ' j »P on him tuat is thirsty, 

all they that believe on Him should hereafter receive, ana and floods upon the dry 
some in a miraculous manner; for the Holy Ghost was l^tupon %seeT fl 
not yet fully given/ 8 ) because that Jesus, who was to ^ J 

serc^ Him from the Father, was not yet glorified {ascended clean water upon you, and 
up to heaven) .—Many of the people, therefore, when they ^wmjut MySpWt w^th- 
heard this remarkable saying, said, Of a truth this is The ™J° U - Ezek.x XX vi.25, 
Prophet a of whom Moses spake, and in whose days greater But this is that which 
effusion of the Spirit is promised. Others also said plainly, jo^And if Saii^Sme 
This is the Christ. b But some still raised objections and i wiUpoJTut 

said, Shall the Christ come out of so obscure a place as of My Spirit upon ail flesh, 
Galilee ? c Hath not the Scripture expressly said, That the 

daughters shall prophesy, 

Christ cometh of the seed of David/ and out of the town ^SJ^™^ 
of Bethlehem, e where David was f in his youth ?— So there men shall dream dreams. 

. . , 7 „ „ . . . n t Acts ii. 16, 17. 

was a division (a difference of opinion) among the people 

„ M t _ , 7 r a » a Th e Lord thy God 

because of Him. And some oi them, who were least j a- w m raise up unto thee a 
vourably disposed, would now have taken Him and deli- ^S^lX™^ 
vered Him up ; but the officers themselves hesitated, being unt » me - unto Him ye 

, shall hearken. Deut.xviii. 

much moved with the dignity of His demeanour and the 15. 

discourse which they had heard, and no man laid hands on b Behold My Servant 

__. whom I uphold, Mine 

Him. elect in whom My soul 

Then came the officers back to the chief priests and Myfp^upLffinT. i P sa! 

Pharisees ; and they said unto them, Why have ye not xlii - L 

brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake J t0 ^ ; cat^e^y 

like this man!?W He at once declared to us with what g°° d tnin s come out of 

7 Nazareth? John i. 46. 

object we had come, and taught with such truth and majesty 

, 7 . 777. .,.7777 7 7/> d The Lord hath sworn 

that we were held irresistibly back and overawed from our \ n tmth UIlt0 David : He 
purpose. Then the Pharisees answered them upbraiding ly, ^f^i^^j^otj ^i 
Are ye also,— -fools that ye are I — deceived by this man ? 1 set upon ^thy throne. 
Tell us, Have any of the rulers, or of the distinguished And there shall come 

forth a rod out of the stem 
of Jesse, and a Branch 



Pharisees who are set over you, — who must be the best 
judges of what is right,— yet believed on him ? h But this shall grow out of his roots. 

lsa. xi. 1. 

Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign 
and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. Jer. xxiii. 5. 

e But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall 
He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel ; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 
Mic. v. 2. 

f And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy 
servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite. 1 Sam. xvii. 58. 

8 For He taught them as One having authority, and not as the Scribes. Matt. vii. 29. — And all bare Him 
witness, and Wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth. Luke iv. 22. 

h Therefore I said, Surely these are poor, they are foolish, for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the 
judgment of their God. I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them. Jer. v. 4, 5. 



( 8 ) For the Holy Ghost was not yet given.'] The 
extraordinary operation of the Holy Spirit had 
ceased with the prophets Zechariah and Ma- 
lachi : hence the ignorance of the Ephesians 
(Acts xix. 2). There was some manifestation 
of this influence to Zacharias and Elizabeth on 
the approach of the Messiah, but the full effu- 
sion, promised by the prophets under the meta- 
phor of water, did not take place till after the 
Ascension. 

( 9 ) Never man spake like this man.] It is 
recorded by Plutarch (in Mario, 431), that when 
Marius sent soldiers to kill Mark Antony, 
they were so overcome by his extraordinary elo- 



quence, that they were affected to tears, and ex- 
claimed, "Who could speak as he does?" But 
the case of our Lord was different in its circum- 
stances, and afforded less scope for effect. He 
did not plead for His life ; He addressed a capri- 
cious multitude, and His theme was purely a 
spiritual one. The great power with which our 
Lord must have spoken, can hardly fail to have 
struck every reader of His wonderful discourses, 
hut we must take care not to understand merely 
human eloquence. We are to go far beyond this : 
He spake by the unerring Spirit of God, and 
His Word demands, not our praise, but our ado- 
ration. 



200 



NICODExMUS DEFENDS JESUS. 



people, — this contemptible rabble, — who knoweth not the 
real declarations and intention of the Law, are cursed with 
blindness, and, poor weak creatures that they are, are quickly 

» There was a man of led astray ! 

Z2t™^f 2 Nicodemus (he that came to Jesus by night being a 
Jews. The same came to counsellor and one of them, saith unto them, Doth our Law 

Jesus by night. John in. . , 

l, 2. " permit us to judge (to condemn) any man, before it hear 

k Thou shait come unto him in his defence, and know, by regular course of evidence, 
untoS^udge^aTsh^ what he doetn k worthy of condemnation? They, without 
be in those^days^and^en- replying to this argument of Nicodemus, answered contemp- 
thee the sentence of judg- tuously and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee, and 
m< At th^mou^'of two an aoe H° r °f this factious band ? Such would seem to be 
witnesses, or at the mouth f ne case f rom i ne p ar f f nou ar f taking. Search and look, 

of three witnesses shall the " M " , 

matter be established, for thou wilt find that out of Galilee anseth no such Pro- 
D He ^fat* answereth a phet (10) as Messiah is to be. — And upon this the assembly 
matter before he heareth oro j ce U p abruptly, ivithout coming to any resolution about 

it, it is folly and shame r jr v J v ^ J 

unto him. Prov. xviii. 13. Jesus : and every man went unto his own house. 



SECTION LXXVIII. 

An ADULTERESS IS BROUGHT BEFORE JESUS, WHO DECLINES THE 
OFFICE OF A JUDGE, BUT ADMONISHES HER AS A TEACHER. 

John viii. 1 — 11. 

» And His (Messiah's) TESUS went for retirement unto the Mount of 01ives, a ^ !) 

feet shall stand in that 7 • 7 , 7 7 , . 7 , 7y»t 7 a i 

day upon the Mount of O which stood about a mile eastward of Jerusalem. And 
olives which is before ear ly i n the morning He came again into the Temple : and 

Jerusalem on the east. J 0 0 • 1 

Zech. xiv. 4. all the people, who had resorted thither to worship previous 

to their return home from the feast, came unto Him ; and 
He sat down, and taught them. And as He was teaching, 
the Scribes and Pharisees, who had been seeking a fit 
opportunity to ensnare Him, brought unto Him a woman 
taken in the very act of adultery ; (2) for well knowing His 



( 10 ) Out of Galilee arise ih no Prophet.] This 
must have been the language of prejudice, and 
it shows us what power Prejudice has to close the 
eyes against the clearest truth ; for at least the 
chief priests and Pharisees knew, (if the igno- 
rance of the people could be excused,) that Jesus 
was born at Bethlehem (see Matt. ii. 4, 5). 
They must have meant, that the " Great Pro- 
phet" who was to come should not rise out of 
Galilee ; for, wicked as they were, they were not 
ignorant of what their Scriptures contained: 
the prophet Jonah was certainly of that country 
(2 Kings xiv. 25), if not also Nathan, Habakkuk, 
and Amos. 

(!) The Mount of Olives. ] To this celebrated 
Mount our Lord often retired for meditation, as 
the prophet Zeehariah had predicted. It was so 
named from the Olive trees which abounded 
ihere, and which still maintain their place on 



their native mountain, growing spontaneously 
upon its sides and summit. Although shoots 
from the original trees may yet remain, those of our 
Lord's time were no doubt cut down by the Romans 
to construct warlike machines for besieging the 
city, as well as to make some of the numerous 
Crosses required for the prisoners they had taken. 

( 2 ) A woman taken in adultery.] It should 
be observed that the authenticity of this narra- 
tive has been questioned; but the arguments 
(both interna! and external) for retaining it, 
greatly preponderate. Much the greater number 
of manuscripts contain it. Nearly all the au- 
thorities admit that it is founded on fact, but 
some suppose that, being preserved by Tradition, 
it was added to this Gospel by St. John's dis- 
ciples with the approbation of Papias, and at 
length was received by the Church. The reader 
can consult Mill and also Scholz for full state- 
ments of the controversy. 



JESUS DECLINES JUDGING AN ADULTERESS. 



201 



unbounded mercy and benevolence to all, they expected that 

He would at once pardon her crime. And when they had 

set her in the midst of the people assembled, they say unto 

Him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery — in the 

very act. Now Moses in the Law commanded us that 

such criminals should be stoned ; b(3 ' but what sayest thou? b if^a daimeHhat i3 a 

This they said, not that they desired further authority how , an husband, and a man 

to act, but tempting Him to a decision, that they might ittkhL^Aen^shaU 

have opportunity to accuse Him : for if He set aside the b " n s ^em both out unto 

rr v ' . . /> TT tlie gate oi that city, and 

LaW) that would lessen Him with the people ; and if He ye shall stone them with 
adhered to the letter of the Law, then He would be rendered ^^J?^ 67 ^ 6 " Deut 
obnoxious to the Romans, who had of late assumed to them- 
selves the supreme power of capital punishment. But Jesus 
never claimed for Himself the power of the magistrate, and 
well knowing the malice of the 'woman's accusers, He consi- 
dered them to be unworthy of an answer ; wherefore He merely c The^hands ofdie wit- 
stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground ^ him [or her] to put him 
as though He heard or regarded them not. So when they » tfjfiZg 
continued asking Him ( pressing for a decision), He lifted up P le - Deut - xvii - 7 - 

tt i/» i i TT i • • t ,7 7-7 • Therefore thou art in- 

mmseli, and said unto them. He that is without the like sin excusable, o man, whoso- 
among you who now accuse this woman, let him first cast a fo^^S^£^ju^ei 
stone (the stone, Gr.) at her. c ^ And leaving them to their another, thou condemned 

' m 9 * thyself; for thou that 

own reflections, He again stooped down and wrote on the judgest doest the same 
ground — thus giving them an opportunity of withdr awing, ^tfm^^nSm- 
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own ^"jggj^ ^™ 
conscience, went abashed out of the Temple one by one, ii. 1, 22. 
beginning at the eldest {or chief men) who had been the 
speakers, even unto the last. And Jesus was left alone 



( 3 ) That such should be stoned.] The pu- 
nishment of a virgin betrothed was lapidation, 
but in the case of a married woman, it was (for 
some time at least) death by strangling. After- 
wards Custom appears to have introduced stoning 
in both cases (see Ezek. xvi. 38, 40). 

( 4 ) With His finger wrote on the ground.] It 
was not unusual with the Jews thus to write some 
sentence worthy of memory. We must be con- 
tent to remain ignorant of what was written on 
this occasion ; but, according to the rule in the 
trial of a woman suspected of this offence, it 
appears that the priest was to take up some of the 
dust of the floor of the tabernacle, and write in 
it the curses denounced (see Numb. v. 17, &c). 
Jesus, by conforming as nearly as possible to 
this, might show His unwillingness to take cog- 
nizance of this cause unless the guilty accusers 
would abide the consequence of being involved 
in the same curse. — Another suggestion is, that 
our Lord wrote the sentence from Jer. xvii. 13, 
which would record the wickedness of these 
Pharisees, together with the judgment in the 
case, viz., that they should " be written in the 
earth:" this citation would be in harmony with 
our Lord's late invitation to all to come unto 
Him and drink of the "living waters," — the 
words which immediately follow in that prophet. 
The expression " as though He heard them not" 



| does not occur in the original, being added as 
explanatory by our translators. 

( 5 ) Let him first cast a stone.] The first stone 
was cast in form by the principal accuser as a 
signal to the other witnesses and bystanders, but, 
being of great bulk and weight, it was often fatal. 
St. Paul (as shown in the Margin) addresses the 
Jewish doctors themselves, and shows the 
natural equity of not condemning, when he who 
judges doeth the same things. Our Lord else- 
where describes them as an " adulterous genera- 
tion." To the fact of an extreme corruption of 
morals among his countrymen, Josephus bears 
ample testimony ; and that the priests and scribes 
deeply participated in the general corruption, 
there is no reason to doubt, for even the Rab- 
binical writers supply abundant proof of the 
licentiousness of the most eminent of their 
Rabbis. So common was adultery in our Lord's 
time, that the practice of trying suspected women 
by the waters of jealousy had been abolished, 
because, according to the Rabbinical comment, 
the trial was only effectual when the husband 
was innocent ! Their partiality appears on the 
present occasion, for they brought forward only 
the woman, and not the man who had been 
guilty, whereas the law condemned both (see 
Deut. xxii. 24). 



202 



THE ADULTERESS ADMONISHED. 



[without any of the accusers), and the woman remained 
standing in the midst of His disciples and the people. 

When Jesus had lifted up Himself, and saw none of 
the Pharisees left, but the woman only whom they had 
brought, He said unto her, Woman, where are those thine 
accusers ? hath no man condemned {sentenced, or attempted 
* And Jesus said to punish) thee ? She said. No man. Lord. And Jesus said 

^>ho made Me a judse • ' . / , 

or a divider over you? unto her. Neither do 1 condemn tnee d to death : great has 

Lake xii. 14. 



e Sin no more, lest a 
■worse thing come unto 

thee. John v. 14. sin no more. e 



been thy sin, but repent, and for the time to come stand in 
awe of the Divine judgment ; go thy way now in peace, and 



SECTION LXXIX. 

Jesus speaks more plainly of Himself, and declares His 
existence before abraham ; upon which hls enemies 
attempt to stone hlm. 

John viii. 12 — 59. 

» i will also give Thee rpHEX asrain spake Jesus unto them on another occasion, 

for a Liaht to the Gentiles, * S T 1 . _ . _ , ... _ . 7 

that Thou mayest be My saying, I am the true Light of the world : { > he that 
dearth. ™i^.^J n 6. 01 followeth Me shall not walk in the ways of darkness, but 
Unto you that tear My shall have the light of Life. a The Pharisees therefore 

name shall the Sun ol . , c 

Righteousness arise with said unto Him, Thou bearest record of thyself ; thy 
2^ gmMswmss * MaL record therefore wants evidence to support it, and is not to 

the^fe ™sTe L&hTof ^ e rece ' we ^ 08 true mer ely wpon thine own shewing. 

men-, and the Light shi- Jesus answered and said unto therm Though I do bear 

i. 4, 5. ness ' ° record of Myself, vet My record is most true ; for I know 

into SwSiS! assuredly whence I came {even from the Father), and whi- 

soever beiieveth on Me ther I 2fo [unto Him again) : but ve cannot tell whence I 

should not abide in dark- , i -r J ' n- 7 7 i 

ness. John xii. 46. come, and wnither 1 go. for ye are blinded by your preju- 

b And if any man hear dices. Ye judge after the flesh — testing Me by external 

i%d°e d ^ d n<^ eV fe°i a PP eara ^ces, which alone your grovelling apprehensions 

came not to judge the can reach: I as yet judge no man 5 b for I am among you 

world'. John xii. 47. now as a Teacher and Saviour. And yet if I were to judge, 

e Man looketh on the judgment i- s true c and supreme ; for I am not alone d 

outward appearance, hut in what I determine, but I and the Father that sent Me 

the Lord looketh on the . , , . , .7,1. 7 , . 

heart. 1 Sam. xvi. 7. unite in counsel. Also consider this, when you object that 1 
4dl H%mL^I. hear record o/Mysdf; It is written in your own Law« that 

Thou Invest righteousness and hatest wickedness. Ps. xlv. 6, 7. — Mv judgment is just, because I seek not Mine 
own will, hut the will of the Father which hath sent Me. Johu v. 30. 
d I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. John xvi. 32. 



0) The Light of the world.] The Jews said 
this of the first Adam. Christ applies it to 
Himself, the second Adam. Light is used as a 
metaphor of Happiness in the Old Testament (see 
Esth. viii. 16; Ps. xcvii. 11), and especially of 
Knowledge (see Ps. cxix. 105, 130). It is an 
old and a just observation that Keligion and 
Learning have ever flourished or fallen together. 



( 2 ) It is written in pour Law.] Our Saviour 
here takes the lowest, but what was in fact un- 
deniable, ground. It was also written that, in 
the case of a Prophet, his testimony of himself, 
when confirmed by miracles, was sufficient. 
Moses, after predicting "the Prophet like unto 
himself," supposes this very question: "And if 
thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the 



JESUS SPEAKS MORE PLAINLY OF HIMSELF. 



203 



the testimony of two men is true e (ivorthy of credit), and • At the mouth of two 

sufficient to establish cases of the highest moment. I, then, nesses shall he that is 

that bear witness of Myself am one, and the Father that J^ttt^T^ 

sent Me beareth witness of Me f likewise, and therefore is f If I bear witness of 

another. His testimony ye cannot refuse, which is plainly Myself, My witness is not 

. J iii . . , true. There is another 

given in your prophecies ; and ye have lately heard it in the that heareth witness of 

Voice which acknowledged Me at My baptism, as well as seen Himself* thkhhlth^eS 

it in the many proofs of Omnipotence displayed through Me. Jje, ha^hborne witaess of 

Then said they unto Him, But where is he whom thou 
callest thy Father, that we may see and interrogate him as a 
witness on thy behalf? Jesus answered, Ye neither truly 
know Me, nor My Father: if ye had known Me and 
valued Me as ye ought, ye should {would) have known My 

Father also/ for We are One: ye would have recognized % if ye had known Me, 

in My doctrine and ivorks the proof s of Wisdom and Omni- SySer dsTandfrom 

potence ; and ye would gratefully receive this most perfect henceforth ye know Him 

•S * *' Jf IT- '77 i f J 4 and have seen Him 

manifestation of His will ever vouchsafed unto man. He that hath seen Me, 

These words spake Jesus openly in the Treasury/ 3 ) as jj^^? 6 Father ' 
He taught in the Temple ; and, although the Pharisees were 
greatly incensed, no man laid hands on Him; for His hour 
(the appointed time of His being delivered into their hands) 
was not yet come. 

Then said Jesus again (on an occasion soon after) unto 
them, I go My way shortly from among you, and, when 
Divine vengeance cometh to destroy you and your city, ye 
shall seek Me h in vain, and shall die in your sins ; for h The days will come 
whither I go, ye cannot come. 1 Then said the Jews among ^ n J e e otlL^ys 5 
themselves, Will he kill himself (4) that we cannot iind the Son of man, and shall 

J not see it. Luke xvii. 22. 

him? because he saitn, Whither 1 go, ye cannot come. 

a i Tj • i j. I? * j- • • • r. tt 1 Ana " besides all this, 

And He, in reply to this malicious insinuation of His com- between us and you there 
mitting suicide, said mildly unto them, Ye know not what J ha J they wWch^wouid 
ye say : ve are from beneath, so that ye speak earthly P ass from hence t0 y° u 

* 7 , 7.T- t v n cannot, neither can they 

things ana cannot appreciate what 1 teach; 1 am from pass to us that would come 
above, and have therefore spoken of the things of heaven, ^ m thence- Luke xvi ' 
whither I go: ye are of this world, and are wholly wrapped 
up in its concerns; but I am not of this world. k I said * He that is of the earth 
therefore unto you-* 0 warn you, if it were yet possible- iL^£fi£££ 
that, unless ye be converted, ye shall die in your sins : for fro ™ heaven is above ail. 

, ' John ui. 31. 

it ye believe not from your hearts that I am He (even the 
Great Prophet that was to come, the promised Messiah), 



word which the Lord hath not spoken ? " and 
he replies, that every true Prophet may be 
known by his fruits, and by the accomplishment 
of that which he pretends to do (see Deut, xviii. 
15, 21,22). 

( 3 ) In the Treasury.] The Treasury was 
that part of the Women's Court where the 
chests were placed for receiving the offerings of 
those who came to worship. It was conse- 



quently a place of great and general concourse 
(see Mark xii. 41). 

( 4 ) Will he kill himself J ] This imputation of 
intended suicide was a wilful perversion of our 
Lord's meaning. Such an act, even according 
to the opinion of the Jews, involved high crimi- 
nality ; for, as appears from Josephus, the 
Pharisees taught that the lowest pit of hell was 
reserved for self-murderers. 



204 



JESUS SPEAKS MORE PLAINLY OF HIMSELF, 



i He that beiieveth not, then ye shall die in your sins, 1 and your destruction be on 

shall be damned. Mark 7 7 , 

xvi. 16. your own heads ! 

» i am not come of My- Then said they contemptuously unto Him, Who, then, 
istnie 1 * ^ohnvhlSs Me f orS00 ^ ai> t thou — whom dost thou pretend to be, speaking 
so highly of thyself? And Jesus saith unto them, / am 

n As Moses lifted up , i T • i n ■, • • , 

the Serpent in the wilder- even the same that 1 said unto you from the beginning [at 
'J Zl be S Z the first), the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, and the 
John iii. 14. g on of God, — sent by Him to reveal His will to man. I have 

And I, if I be lifted up , . , . 

from the earth, will draw many things to say and to judge of (reprove in) you for your 

all men unto Me. John i in it j. t i n i ± i ± 

xii , 32> perverseness, but for the present I shall simply repeat what 

o — declared to be the ^ declared unto some of you before : He that sent Me is 
Son of God with^ power, true ; m and I speak to the world those things only which I 
holiness, by the Resurrec- have heard of Him. — But, notwithstanding this plain decla- 

tion from the dead. Rom. they understood not yf > t that He spake to them Q f 

P Before his translation, the Fatlier aS the PeTSOn wJl ° k(ld * mt Him < 

Enoch had this testimony, Then said Jesus emphatically unto them, — that so His 

that he pleased God . Heb. 7 . 7 7 7 7 n 7 TTT1 7 

xi. o. words might be remembered afterwards, — When ye have 

q And many ofthepeo- fitted up the measure of your sins, and have lifted up the 
P™ Ted " n ^ im ' a " d Son of man n upon the Cross, then shall ye know by undeniable 

said, W hen Christ cometh, ■* ' J u 

will He do more miracles signs and wonders that I am indeed He, 0 (5) and that I do 

hathdo^e?" johnvii^L nothing of Myself alone; but as My Father hath taught 

* Who will render to Me, s P ea k these things. And He that sent Me is even 
every man according to now ^th Me : the Father hath not left Me alone, but 

his deeds: to them who 

by patient continuance in continually aids and supports Me ; for I do always those 

Tnd tonl^txtllmZ things that please Him.P 

tahty,^ eternal life. Rom. ^ s jj e S p ake these sublime and impressive words, many 

Continue in the faith of those who had already witnessed His miracles believed 

grounded and settled, and TT ' n rm -it i j> i ± ±' j.t_ 

be not moved away from 011 riim/i ihen said Jesus, by way of exhortation, to those 
Col i°23 ° f the G ° spe1 ' Jews wnicn believed on Him,— for He well knew the vaciU 
if any man draw back, lation of the human heart, and how different profession is 

My soul shall have no /, ,. T ~ ,. 7/ , . • y j- . 

pleasure in him. Heb. x. f rom practice, — If ye continue r steadfast m obedience to 
38, My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed, and ye shall 

* Ye have not so learn- oe acknowledged as such ; and ve shall know the Truth s of 

ed Christ ; if so be that v ' J J 

ye have heard Him, and a Saviour i?i its full compass and extent, and the 1 ruth 
— Isth?TrutM^n y j?s™.' shall make you free 1 — completely emancipating you from 
Eph. iv. 20, 21. ^ e yQfe an ^ f ne thraldom of sin. — But some of those pre- 

* i will walk at liberty, sen t were indignant at the insinuation that they were 
Ps. cxix. 45. not already free, and they answered Him, We be 
from ei s"n,yrb™ame Ae Abraham's seed— no servile race, but a people ever tenacious 
servants oi^righteousness. 0 f liberty ; and we were never in bondage (6) (personal 

Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer but a 
doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James i. 25. 



( 5 ) Then shall ye know, fyc.] Our Lord refers 
particularly to the wonderful events connected 
with His Resurrection and Ascension, to the 
descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, 
and to the miracles afterwards wrought by the 
Apostles in His name. 

( 5 ) We were never in bondage.} We must sup- 
pose the speakers to be alluding to personal sla- 
very, unless that gross inconsistency be admis- 



sible here, which persons sometimes fall into 
who speak with heat and prejudice. The Jews 
had been in public bondage to the Egyptians, and 
Nehemiah confesses " We are servants this day" 
(Neh. ix. 36). They were now under the Ro- 
mans as tributaries, and Josephus tells us (Antiq. 
xviii. 1), that they themselves regarded the pay- 
ment of tribute as a sign of servitude. 



IN THE PRESENCE OF THE PHARISEES. 



205 



slavery) to any man : n how then sayest thou, Ye shall be 
made free in becoming My disciples ? Jesus answered 
them, / spake it of spiritual freedom, and teach that 
doctrine which can alone secure the true and best liberties of 
all mankind: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever 
habitually committeth sin is the servant and bondslave 
of sin, v and must at last receive the xoages of sin, which is 
death : such a servitude is baser, and in its end more dread- 
ful, than the yoke of any earthly tyrant. And as the servant 
(the slave) abideth not in the same house (family) for 
ever, but may be sold at his lord's pleasure unto another, 
so is it ivith the slaves of sin, ivho shall be utterly rejected at 
last. But the son and heir abideth ever w in the family : 
in some cases he may, as you know, adopt others as his 
brethren, and without his concurrence a slave cannot be 
manumitted. If I, therefore, the Only-begotten Son, shall, 
conjointly with the Father, make you free, (7) ye shall be 
free indeed* — becoming first "children, then heirs; heirs 
of God and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. viii. 17). — I 
know well that ye are Abraham^ seed, but it is according 
to the flesh only, and ye seek now to kill Me, because ye 
are degenerate from Abraham; owe? My Word hath no place 
in you, because it is opposed to your lusts and prejudices. 
There is indeed a wide difference between Me and you : I 
speak that which I have seen and known with My Father^ 
who is in Heaven : and ye do that which ye have seen with 
and learned of jam father (even of Satan). 

They answered and said unto Him, Abraham, " the 
friend of God," is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If 
ye were Abraham's children in spirit, and resembled that 
good old patriarch in the nobler qualities of his mind, ye 
would do the works of Abraham J But now ye seek to 
kill Me— a Man that hath told you the Truth, which I 
have heard of God and have received commission from 
Him to declare. The like to this did not Abraham, ivho 
ever honoured God's messengers, and in the full assurance of 
faith received His Word, however mysterious the command 
might be, and however trying its complete observance. — 
Ye show plainly enough whose progeny ye are, for ye do the 
deeds of him who is really your father. Then said they 
to Him, — for they perceived at last that He did not speak 



u For they are My ser- 
vants which I brought 
forth out of the land of 
Egypt : they shall not be 
sold as bondmen. Lev. 
xxv. 42. 

T Know ye not that to 
whom ye yield yourselves 
servants to obey, his ser- 
vants ye are to whom ye 
obey ; whether of sin unto 
death, or of obedience unto 
righteousness? Rom. vi. 
16. 

I see another law in my 
members warring against 
the law of my mind, and 
bringing me into captivity 
to the law of sin. Rom. 

vii. 23. 

They themselves are 
the servants of corruption ; 
for of whom a man is over- 
come, of the same is he 
brought in bondage. 2 
Pet. ii. 19. 

w What saith the Scrip- 
tare? Cast out the bond- 
woman and her son; for 
the son of the bondwoman 
shall not be heir with the 
son of the free woman. 
Gal. iv. 30. 

x The Lord hath anoint- 
ed Me. . . .to proclaim li- 
berty to the captives. Isa, 
bri. 1. 

The law of the Spirit of 
life in Christ Jesus hath 
made me free from the law 
of sin and death. Rom. 

viii. 2. 

Stand fast therefore in 
the liberty wherewith 
Christ hath made us free, 
and be not entangled 
again with the yoke of 
bondage. Gal. v. 1. 

7 Bring forth fruits 
therefore worthy of repen- 
tance, and begin not to 
say within yourselves, We 
have Abraham to our fa- 
ther. Luke iii. 8. 

Neither, because they 
are the seed of Abraham, 
are they all children ; but, 
In Isaac shall thy seed be 
called ; that is, They which 
are the children of the 
flesh, these are not the 
children of God ; but the 
children of the promise 
are counted for the seed. 
Rom. ix. 7, 8. 

So then thev which be 



( 7 ) If the Son shall make you free.] Our 
Saviour evidently alludes here to some custom. 
In Greece, and probably elsewhere, the eldest 
son could adopt brethren, so as to give them 
the privileges of the family. Among the Ro- 
mans, the son, upon the father's death, gave 
freedom to such as were born slaves in his 
house. Instances occur in all times and coun- 
tries in which a proprietor cannot act without the 
consent of the son and heir. — The case of I 



Ishmael, the son of the bondwoman, who was 
cast out, beautifully illustrates the context of this 
passage. 

( 8 ) / speak ivhut I have seen tcith My Father.] 
Our Lord presently adds, that He declared to 
them what He had heard of His Father. It is 
evident, therefore, that what He had learned of 
His Father is the simple sense, — for we learn by 
hearing and seeing. 

I 



206 



THE PHARISEES ARE REBUKED. 



of faith are blessed with of parentage in a natural xoay, — We claim the highest spiri- 

if ye be Christ's, then are tual descent ; we be not born of fornication/ for we neither 

hehf b a ccordin" See to the wors ^W idols ourselves, nor are we sprung of idolatrous ances- 

promise. Gal. iii. 9, 29. tors : we have all one Father, even the true God. Jesus said 

z How is the faithful unto them, If God were indeed your Father, ye would love 

T2i. b 2i° me an ar0t Me: a fori proceeded originally forth from Him, and came 

» Every one that loveth fr° m God b into the world as His immediate Representative ; 

Him that begat loveth neither, as I told you, came I of Mvself, but / act here by 

Him also that is begotten 3 * y \ 

of Him. i John v. l. His authority, and He it was who sent Me. — And why do 
fa The same was in the ye not understand My speech so plainly delivered? It is 
John 1 1 2 g ^ G ° d ' even because ye cannot hear My Word : c ye are so pre- 
— the brightness of His judiced and sunk in sin that ye are not capable of ap- 
fmage of His 6 Person, predating pure and sound doctrine. Ye are the genuine 
Heb ' 3 * children of your father the devil/ and the lusts of your 

His ^nHL shah 1 know of ^ atner Y e do iv e are desirous to do, and determined 
the doctrine whether it be to do). At this very time ye are proving your resemblance 

of God. John vii. 17. 7 . . . 7 . . . .. 

to him in his two leading characteristics : he was a mur- 
chudiSr of^the kicked derer and an enemy of mankind from the beginning e of 
one. Matt. xih. 38. f ne wor id f or ne brought death into it; and he abode 

He that committeth sm , 3 ^ . 

is of the devil, for the de- not m the truth, nor 66 kept his first estate - of innocence, 

mng. nn f John'ih! 1 ^ 68111 " because there is no love of truth in him. When he 

e Death entered into speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own — that which properly 

the world by sin; and so belongs to him; for he is a liar and the father of it {the 

death passed upon all men. u 

Rom. v. 12. author of all falsehood), having been the first and the 

i Am i herefore your greatest of liars. And so because I tell you the truth/ 
th^thT^Gai 1 iv U i6 0U an ^ no ^ accomm °date My doctrine to your corrupt 
inclinations, ye believe Me not. Which of you, / ask, 
g — -in all points tempt- convinceth Me of sin s (convicteth Me of error) ? And if 
SaX.SL'aM 1 say the truth, why do ye not believe Me? He that is 
really a child of God, heareth and giveth heed to God^s 
words, by whomsoever they may be delivered: ye therefore 
hear them not, and regard not what I say, because ye are 

* We are of God: he ^ the children of God. h 

that knoweth God, hear- Then answered the Jews by taunts, and said unto 

eth us ; he that is not of i \ r t 

God, heareth not ns. i Him, Say we not well (with good reason) that thou art a 
Samaritan (a heretic and an enemy), rather than a child of 
Abraham, and that thou hast a devil? for thou must bemad 
to denounce the privileged children as the offspring of Satan. 
Jesus meekly answered, I have not a devil, but I honour 
My Father by executing His will, — which no one under the 
direction of a malignant spirit would do ; and ye on the 
contrary do dishonour Me by your insults and revilings. It 

from^eT^Johnv 1 ! 0 ^. 111 is not > however,for Me to vindicate My honour, and I seek 

* Veriiv veriiv i say not ™ an y respect Mine own glory there is One above 
unto you, He that heareth that seeketh and will secure it, and who judgeth all things. 

My Word, and believeth - r ., T , y . j r i j i 

on Him that sent Me, hath Verily, verily, I say this unto you, ana 1 would nave you 
everlasting life. John v. Uy & as a certain truth to your hearts, If a man keep My 
Whosoever Hveth and saving, guiding his life in obedience to My Word, he shall 

believeth in Me shall U . _ J . , Le 1 ± . * \ ±1 

never die John xi. 26. never see eternal death,* " out is passed jrom death unto 



ever? Zech. i. 5. 

m If I bear witness of 
Myself, My witness is not 



JESUS DECLARES HIS EXISTENCE BEFORE ABRAHAM. 207 

life" Then said the Jews unto Him, Now we know cer- 1 Your fathers, where 

tainly that thou hast a devil by thy speaking in this pre- phets* he do ? they hve P for* 
sumptuous manner: for Abraham is dead, and the pro- 
phets 1 are dead; and yet thou sayest, If a man keep my 

saying, he shall never taste of death ! To be able to true. John v. si. 

confer immortality on others, thou must first possess it thy- n o righteous Father, 

self: art thou then greater, or higher in the favour of God, ?LI°t, h il™ k„3 

than our venerable and holy father Abraham, which is dead ? Thee - John xvii - 25 • 

and the prophets also are all dead : they could not pro- 0 1 tell you that many 

, . „ 7 ~ ,j prophets and kings have 

cure so much as immunity for themselves from the common desired to see those things 

lot, — much less for their followers. Whom therefore tStJ^Hl 

makest thou thyself to be ? Jesus answered, If I honour 24. 

•»*-"i^7 •• .7 m ,7 r -fc/ri These all died in faith, 

Myself, by assuming to be greater than 1 am, My honour not having received the 

is worth nothing- it is My Father, — even He of whom 

ye say that He is your God,— that honoureth Me. Yet, persuaded of them, and 

J J niii xt* /-* embraced them, and con- 

although ye so confidently style Him your God, your fessed that they were 
practice contradicts your professions, for ye have not ^eSS.^HebSris? 11 
truly known Him : but I know Him n perfectly, and if I m „ . 

i ii xi -r-i- t i it i t i-i * The Scripture preach- 

should ever say, 1 know Him not, 1 shall be a liar like ed before the Gospel unto 
unto you; but I know Him, and, as a proof of it, I Abraham - Gal m - 8 - 
faithfully keep His saying. Your father, Abraham, to M l s ^\ ?iLTi 
whom the glad tidings were announced that " in his seed AM - Exod - ui - 14 - 

, z . j., .. , I, even I, am the Lord, 

should all the nations of the earth be blessed, rejoiced to and beside Me there is no 
see My day, 0 — the glorious advent of the Messiah; and by bTgin^was 
the eye of faith he saw it.P w though afar off, and was glad — Wor f ^nd the Word 

')*'>> 3 /» was With God, and the 

exulting even in that distant and imperfect view of the glory Word was God. John i. 
which should at this time be revealed. l ' And He is before ail 

Then said the Jews unto Him, Thou art not yet fifty and . J***™ B 

y J J things consist. Col. l. 17. 

years old: thou didst not exist half a century back, and iamiUphaandOmega, 

hast thou, forsooth, seen Abraham, who has been dead ending! 8 ^!? the^Lord, 

more than two thousand years? Jesus then said plainly an^wrSh^tTco^'S 

unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abra- Almighty. Rev. i. 8. 

ham Was born, I AM <1 * He that blasphemeth 

Then took they up stones to cast at Him r — -judging shau a sureiy *be L put' to 
Him to be unworthy of any other answer, and regarding Him death ' 811(1 ^ ^ ?T 

9 J •* J if it gregauon shall certainly 

stone him. Lev. xxiv. 16. — Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the 
Sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God. John v. 18. 



( 9 ) And he saw it.\ If it be asked on what 
particular occasion Abraham saw the day of 
Christ by faith, the answer is, In that illustrious 
trial of offering up his only son, whom he received 
back again, as St. Paul says (Heb. xi. 19), "in a 
figure;" that is to say, the great and future Sacri- 
fice for Sin was thus visibly represented to his 
senses, and not only the death, but the resurrec- 
tion of the victim. 

( 10 ) Before Abraham was, I AM.] Anti-Tri- 
nitarians tell us that this means, "Jesus was 
designated to His office before the existence of 
Abraham ; " but surely such a proposition was not 
worth announcing with such solemnity, and it is 
one which would have given no offence to our 
Lord's hearers. Their attempt to stone Him as 



a blasphemer for this speech (which, as we 
should particularly observe, He did not seek to 
explain away), sufficiently proves that they un- 
derstood Him, — as He meant them to under- 
stand Him, — to speak of His existence before 
Abraham, and consequently of His Divinity; that 
He was the same with that Jehovah, of whom 
Moses had told the Israelites, I AM hath sent 
me unto you. His Divine Nature is clearly im- 
plied in this expression ; for if His existence was 
to be measured by time, as is that of all created 
beings, He must have said "/ w>c«," but His 
existence is " one eternal Now." — The distinction 
of short and long in the duration of time is lost 
in Eternity, and with the Almighty a thousand 
years are but as yesterday. 



208 



THE CURE OF THE MAN BORN BLIND. 



as one fully amenable, on the spot, to the penalty which the 
Law inflicted on blasphemers. But Jesus hid Himself 
{rendered His person invisible to them), and went out of 
the Temple, going through the midst of them; and so 
passed by unharmed. 



SECTION LXXX. 

Jesus restores sight to a man born blind, at which the Pha- 
risees TAKE OFFENCE: THEY ARE FURTHER EXASPERATED BY 

His declaring Himself to be "The Good Shepherd." and 
" One with the Father." 

John ix. 1—41; x. 1—21. 



a This is John the Bap- 
tist ; he is risen from the 
dead. Matt. xiv. 2. 

b This sickness is not 
unto death, but for the 
glory of God, that the Son 
of God might be glorified 
thereby. John xi. 4. 

e Whatsoever thy hand 
findeth to do, do it with 
thy might; for there is 
no work, nor device, nor 
knowledge, nor wisdom 
in the grave whither 
thou goest. Eccles. ix. 
10. 

If any man walk in the 
day, he stumbleth not. 
John xi. 9. 

Walk while ye have 
the light, lest darkness 
come upon you; for he 
that walketh in darkness 
knoweth not whither he 
goeth. Johnxii. 35. 

d Go and wash in Jor- 
dan seven times, and thy 
flesh shall come again to 
thee. 2 Kings v. 10. 



AND as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was 
blind from his birth. And His disciples asked Him, 
saying, Master, If disease be the consequence of sin. who 
did sin, this man in a pre-existent state? or his parents'^ 
through legal uncleanness at the time of his conception. 
that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath 
this man sinned, nor his parents, so as to cause this 
blindness ; but the Divine Wisdom permitted it, that by the 
ffift °f sight the miraculous works of God should now 
be made manifest in him. b And I, having the power, 
must work the works of Him that sent Me to fulfil 
them, while it is day and while My time yet lasts ; for the 
night cometh, when no man can work. c W As long as I 
am in the world, I am the Light (the Enlightener) of the 
world — not alone giving sight to the blind, but a knowledge 
of the Truth to a world sunk in spiritual darkness and sin. 

When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground, 
and made clay of the spittle ; and He anointed the eyes of 
the blind man with the clay (S) — spreading it over them: 
and, before effecting the cure, He said unto him, so as 
to test his faith and obedience, Go, wash d (bathe) thine 



( ] ) Did this man sin, or his parents?] This 
question refers to the opinion held by the Pla- 
tonists and Pythagoreans concerning the trans- 
migration of souls from one body to another. It 
appears from Joseptms (B. J. ii. 8), that the 
Jews believed in this dogma, having probably 
received the notion from their brethren settled 
at Alexandria. It is clearly referred to by the 
author of the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom 
(viii. 20), where we find* the words, " Being good, 
I came into a body undefiled." — The disciples 
evidently wished for confirmation on this curious 
question, if they did not actually believe it ; but 
our Lord altogether refuses to entertain it. 

(*) The night cometh when no man can work.] 
Day-time is the time for business : the night is 



"ternpus inopportunum" — a general adage which 
our Lord applies to His own case; intimating 
that His continuance with men would be short, 
and that He should not be much longer there to 
enlighten and give them the benefit of His 
example. 

( 3 ) Anointed the eyes of the blind man with the 
clay.] This was a sign connecting the miracie 
with its end. Our Saviour's adoption of any 
action shows at once its fitness, and He was not 
confined to any particular mode (see Section 
LXVL, Note 2). We see, however, in this 
case, the wonderful doings of God, and that with 
Christ all things ar^ possible: the application 
of clay, which would blind one man, can be ren- 
dered instrumental to open the eyes of another. 



THE COUNCIL EXAMINE THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN BLIND. 209 



eyes in the pool [fountain) of Siloam, e (4) (which is, by • The pool of Siioah 
interpretation, "Sent"— being typical of the Shiloh, or the if" 8 '* garden ' 

Sent of God). He went his wav therefore thither, and -^e waters of Shiioah 

J ' " ' that go soitly. Isa. vui. 6. 

washed, and came back seeing. The neighbours there- 
fore, and they which before had seen him that he was 
blind, said, Is not this he that formerly sat and begged ? (flf) 
Some said, Certainly this is he ; others said, He is like 
him : (6) but he himself said, I am he. Therefore said they 
unto him, How were thine eyes opened ? He answered 
and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and 
anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of 
Siloam, and wash : and therefore I went and washed, and I 
received my sight. Then said they unto him, Where is 
he now ? He said, I know not. 

They then brought to the ruling Pharisees f — for the 1 But some of them 
Council was chiefly composed of members of that sect — him pharisee^and^oid^Sn 
that aforetime was blind. And it was the Sabbath-day y hat . Jes f had 

J done. John xi. 4o. 

when Jesus made [prepared) the clay, and opened his eyes. 

Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had g There was a man of 

received his siffht. He said unto them, He simply put me Pharisees named m. 

. J -I-1/7 codemus, a ruler of the 

clay upon mine eyes, and I washed [bathed) them, and / Jews. The same came to 
now do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This u 2 ' %^ h kZt, te 
man is not a prophet sent of God, because he keepeth not Hi 10 ^ that Th ° u *jj * 

x x J 1 l(>acher come from God, 

the sacred law of the Sabbath- day. (7) Others said,- — Nico- for no man can do these 

7 t 7 /• A . , 7 7 ^ 77 . 777 /» miracles that Thou doest 

aemus, Joseph oj Arimathea, ana Gamaliel being probably of except God be with him. 

the number, — But how can a man that is a sinner be able John m< 2 ' 

to do such miracles ?£ — And there was a division anions: h The woman saith unto 

0 Him, Sir, I perceive that 

them respecting Him. Thou art a Prophet. John 

They say unto the blind man again/ 8 ) What sayest 1V Then those men, when 
thou [What is thine own opinion) of him, in that he hath they had seen the miracle 

, . 7" TT . _ , that Jesus did, said, This 

opened thine eyes ? He said, He is evidently a prophet. 11 — is of a truth that Prophet 
But the rulers of the Jews did not believe the fact which ^■£ aa jdmirui^ > the 



( 4 ) Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.'] The 
waters which are here spoken of issued from a 
spring in the rocks of Mount Sion, and were ga- 
thered into two basins. The upper was called 
Shiloah, because its waters were sent by the good- 
ness of God from the bowels of the earth ; and 
springs of water in Judea, being very rare, were 
esteemed peculiar blessings. These waters were 
represented by the prophet Isaiah as a type of 
David's descendants, and more particularly of 
the Messiah. The blind man was directed to 
bathe his eyes therein, that so his obedience 
might be tested, as in the case of Naaman in the 
Jordan. — The pool of Siloam is still shown to 
travellers ; it is a deep stone reservoir contain- 
ing a spring, and is approached by a subterraneous 
flight of steps. 

( 5 ) Sat and begged.] The form of begging 
common among the Jews, viz., " Deserve, or do 
thyself good by me," is observable; intimating 
that by acts of charity we do good to ourselves, as 
well as to others. 

( a ) Others said, He is like him.] The acqui- 



sition of Sight would give an air of spirit and 
cheerfulness to the man's countenance, and 
might occasion a sufficient alteration to render 
him something unlike what he was before. 

(J) Because he keepeth not the Sabbath-day.] 
One of the Jewish traditions forbade the anointing 
of the eyes with any medicine on the Sabbath ; but 
it was only their own corrupt tradition which was 
violated, not the Scriptural rest of the Sabbath 
itself. They themselves confessed that a Pro- 
phet might do and command things contrary to 
the rest which their traditions prescribed. Thus 
Joshua commanded that the Ark should be car- 
ried round Jericho, the armed men going before 
and after it, seven days (Josh. vi. 15). 

( 8 ) They say unto the blind man again.] He 
is still so termed after he had received his sight, 
agreeably to the usual Scripture phraseology. 
Thus Matthew is called the publican after he had 
quitted that employment (Matt. x. 3), and Simon 
is spoken of as the leper subsequently to his cure 
(Matt. xxvi. 6). 

P 



210 



THE COUNCIL EXAMINE THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN BLIND, 



* Howbeit no man spake 
openly of Him for fear of 
the Jevrs. John vii. 13. 



* Because of the Phari- 
sees, they did not confess 
Him, lest they should be 
put out of the Synagogue. 
John xii. 42. 

They shall put yon out 
of the Svnagosues. John 
xvi. 2. ' 

1 And Joshua said unto 
Achan, My son, give, I 
pray thee, glory to the God 
of Israel, and make con- 
fession unto Him: and 
tell me now what thou 
hast done; hide it not 
from me. Josh, vii, 19. 



m He made known His 
ways unto Moses. Ps. 
ciii. 7. 



was alleged concerning him. namely, that he had been bom 
blind and received his sight, until they called the parents 
of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, 
saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? if 
so, how then doth he now see ? His parents answered 
them cautiously and said, We know that this is our son, 
and that he was born blind : but by what strange means 
he now seeth, we know not ; or who hath opened his eyes, 
we know not ; but he is of sufficient age ;9 to be heard in 
evidence ; ask him : he shall speak for (icill speak concern- 
ing) himself. — These words spake his parents, because they 
feared the rulers of the Jews/ forgetful that gratitude 
to Jesus of itself demanded the truth at their hands: for 
the Jews had agreed already that if any man did confess 
that He was the Christ, by attributing to Him such miracles 
as this, he should be put out of the Synagogue k (10) {excom- 
municated}). Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask 
him. 

Then again called they in the man that was blind, and 
said unto him, Give God the praise 1 (Seek His glory by 
a confession of the truth) : we know that this man is a 
sinner, for so open a profaner of the Sabbath can be no 
other than a worthless impostor. — He answered and said, 
Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not [If he is, I know 
nothing of it} : but one thing I certainly know, that, whereas 
I was once blind, now through his means I see perfectly. — 
Then said they to him again, — hoping to make him contra- 
dict his previous statement. — Tell us once more what did he to 
thee? how opened he thine eyes? — He answered them, I 
have told you already, and ye did not hear (attend to, or 
believe) me ; wherefore would ye hear it again ? will ye 
also be his disciples, since ye like to hear so much of his 
works? — Then they reviled him, and said, Thou, with thy 
credulous and partial testimony, art his disciple, — one well 
worthy indeed of such a master, ignorant and presumptuous 
as thou art : but we are Moses 5 disciples, and fully recognize 
the authority of that Divine Law which this 'man has 
wantonly broken. We know, as a certain truth, that God 
spake unto and commissioned Moses m to declare His will to 
man ; but as for this fellow, we know not from whence he 
is, and if he has any power at all, it can spring only from 
the co-operation of Satan. — The man answered and said 



( ? ) He is of age.] The Jews received state- 
ments in evidence when the parties had reached 
the age of thirteen years. 

Should be put out of the Synagogue.] 
There were two, if not more, degrees of Excom- 
munication. One sentence left the offender free 
to hear or expound traditions, hut not to join in 
prayer. A more severe course was entire exclu- 
sion from the Synagogue, with other civil re- 



strictions ; and this seems, from the result, to 
have been the one acted upon here. 

Give God the praise.] A phrase solemnly 
urging him to confess tiie whole as an imposture. 
The idea of collusion was absurd: the miracle 
was performed in the open street ; the man did 
not ask, as some other sufferers did, to be restored, 
nor did he return to Jesus after the cure was 
effected. 



AND EXCOMMUNICATE HIM. 



211 



unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye, who 

can so easily discern a false from a true prophet, know not 

from whence he is, and yet it is undeniable that he hath 

opened mine eyes, which is a good work and a remarkable 

proof that his power must be from God : your ignorance 

and the Miracle are quite irreconcilable. Now we all 

know that God heareth not impenitent sinners 11 — much ofthfhy^critip.'^.wm 

less doth He aid impostors in working miracles in His God hear his C1 7 when 

.„ , . ,'. „ , trouble cometh upon him? 

name; but if any man be a sincere worshipper 01 God, and Job xxvii. 8, 9. 

doeth His will, him He heareth.* Since the world began m / wft^e 

was it not heard that any man by his oivn immediate ™t hear me - Ps - lxvi - 
power opened the eyes of one that was born blind.P (12) If When ye make many 

this man were not of God, he could do nothing of this YouT hands 'ar^Mi^of 

extraordinary kind. — They answered and said unto him, It u ™^ en ^Jj ^ cry 

is evident thou wast altogether, body and soul, born in sins, unto the Lord, but He will 

P .-, . • . ,7 /77 • ,7 ,7 not hear them: He will 

— for thou earnest into the world bearing upon thee a token even hide His face from 
of God's wrath,— and dost thou, contemptible as thou art, them at that time, as they 

3 3 x 1 nave behaved themselves 

presume to teach us ? And they cast him ignominiously j]} iu their doings. Mic. 
out of court, and forthwith excommunicated him. 

Jesus soon heard that they had cast him out in this are upon Signteous^and 

violent and summary manner : and when He had found ^p! ears a £f °P en . ™ t0 

\ m their cry. Jrs. xxxiv. 15. 

him, He said unto him in private, Dost thou believe on the The Lord is far from 

Son of God, — the promised Messiah and Saviour of the eth Spray e^of the righ- 

world? He answered and said, Who {Which) is He, teous - Pr ° v> xv - 29 - ° 

Lord (13 ) (Sir), and where shall I look for Him, that I might p T1 \ e ifrdopeneth the 

7 1V TT- * A 1 T 'I 1- ^ ° f ^ blilld - PS - 

know and believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him, cxM. 8. 

Thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that now talketh Thee^nrighL)usnLs!and 

with thee.q And he said immediately, Lord, I believe that ^s^Thee for a Cove- 

nant 01 the people, lor a 



Thou art He. — And, falling down at His feet, he did Him Light 0 f the Gentiles, to 

, 7 -. . i tt" open the blind eyes. Isa. 

homage and worshipped Him. Jii. q > 7 . 

And after this, Jesus, taking advantage of the occasion, q Jesus saith unt0 her 

said, in the hearing of others who had now draivn near : speak unto thee am 

' He. John iv. 26. 

For judgment 1 * (discrimination of the good from the bad) 

I am come into this world; that they, which have hitherto eth no man, & but imh 

sat in spiritual darkness and see not, might come to the [Z^eL^So^fi 

Light and see ; s and that they which presumptuously think s Who hath called tqu 

they see, might be made blind * — wilfully closing their eyes out of darkness into His 

to the Light which they do not deserve to have vouchsafed to ^ a J veUous llght " 1 Pet - 

them : There will be made henceforth a distinction between % Therefore speak i to 

the tWO. them in parables ; because 

. i*a tb e y seem g> see not - Matt. 

And some of the Pharisees, which were there with Him, xih. 13. 



Since the world began voa>> it not heard, 
fyc] Such a miracle had certainly never been 
attempted before by others. Cataracts have been 
in some cases removed through the improvements 
of modern surgical art (the first successful case 
occurring in England in 1728) ; but this fact does 
not affect the present miracle. A total blind- 
ness, inveterate and from the birth, is still ad- 
mitted to be incurable. This cure also was at 
once effected, without any of those appliances of 



consummate human skill and labour which are 
required in the most successful operations. 

( 13 ) Who is He, Lordf] The man did not 
yet know that it was the Lord Jesus who ad- 
dressed him ; and therefore the word translated 
" Lord" should have been rendered " tfir," as 
our Translation correctly gives it at John iv. 11; 
xii. 21 ; xx. 15. This was the usual language 
of respect, and at Matt, xxvii. 63 we find it 
applied to Pilate. 

P2 



212 



JESUS IS THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP. 



» if I had not come heard these words, and said unto Him, Are we then blind 
they had k not had^in: but also in thy estimation ? Jesus said unto them, If ye were 
forthlirlin ha john°xv 22 rea ^V blind — if your fault were merely ignorance, and ye 
could not understand the Law and the Prophets so plainly 

x — and art confident that , . * .* 

thou thyself art a guide of pointing out who 1 am — then indeed? like the Lrentues ana 
which^^dariiJS the poorer sort of people, ye should have no sin* imputed 
Rom. ii. 19. f 0 y 0U . now ^ arrogating all knowledge to yourselves, 

w y e shall die in your ye sav We see. v (U ) Therefore your sin of Infidelity 

sins ; for if ye believe not : . J 9 . J J J * 

that I am He, ye shall die remailieth inexcusable^ 

m your sins. John vhi. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Scribes and Pharisees,— 

* Every plant which hlind guides as ye are, and usurping the office of the 

My heavenly Father hath * y ' . * ™ , 

not planted shall be rooted Priests? for ye have never been appointed at all to teach 
sees) aione^Xy^be^ind the people, — He that entereth not by the door into the 
Ma d tt r xv °/s u bHnd ' snee pf°W 15) but climbeth up some other way to get in, 

They (the children of the same is no better than a thief and a robber. But he 
Thy jud^nenjand Israel that entereth in by the door is the (is a true) shepherd of 
Thy law. Deut. xxxm. tf\Q sheep. To him the porter (the gate-keeper, or under- 

The priest's lips should shepherd) openeth ; and the sheep hear and obey his 
SuidseS AeL^at^is voice & and he calleth his own sheep,— for he hath exact 
mouth. Mai. ii. 7. knowledge of them all,— hy name, and leadeth them out. 2 

j Behold i stand at the And when he putt eth forth his own sheep from the fold, 

door and knock : if any * * 7 

man hear My Voice and he goeth before them, (16J that he may find them good pas- 

open the door, I will come 7.7 . .7 7 n j i ,1 

in to him. Rev. hi. 20. tures and watch against the approach of danger, and the 
» He shall feed His sheep follow him, for they know his voice. And a stran- 
flock like a shepherd: He g er w il] they not follow, but will flee from him: for 

shall gather the lambs 0 J 7 7 

with His arm, and carry they know not and regard not the voice of strangers, 
snan gent?" kad™ thTse This Parable (this similitude) spake J esus unto them, as 
that^are with young, isa. a r eproof f or their rejection of Him : but they were so blind 
Give ear, o Shepherd that they understood not what things they were (what was 
est Joseph like a flock! the true import of the words) which He spake unto them. 
Ps. lxxx. 1. Then said Jesus unto them again more plainly, Verily, 

verily, I say unto you, I am the Door of the sheep, and 
J%^t2f5£ of the shepherds also: All the teachers of Religion that 
*• 15. ever came before Me — neither having the Divine commis- 

No man taketh this ho- . _ 

nour unto himself, but he sion, nor teaching the way of salvation through Me — are 
walL^Heb^t 3 " thieves and robbers but the faithful sheep did not 



( 14 ) We see.~\ A common title of the wise 
men was Videntes, — " Those who see." 

( 15 ) He that entereth not by the door into the 
sheepfold, Qc.] As Eastern countries were much 
infested by wild beasts, it was common to secure 
sheepfolds by a substantial door, and a servant 
or porter kept watch at night. In the morning 
the head-shepherd came to lead the sheep out to 
pasture. It was usual to name each sheep. 

( 16 ) Goeth before them.] The Greek word for 
sheep would rather imply the custom (as practised 
among us) of the flock going before the shepherd ; 
but the expression may also be referred to the 
obedient, tractable nature of these animals, and 
it was certainly the custom, as it still is with 
Eastern shepherds, to precede their flocks. 

( 17 ) All that ever came before Me are thieves 
and robbers.] It was here our Lord's purpose 



to show that He was not the impostor and se- 
ducer of the people, which they had represented 
Him to be upon the healing of the blind man ; 
but that He was in fact their Chief Shepherd, 
the benevolent Saviour of all mankind. All, 
therefore, who had not been divinely appointed, 
(neither teaching His doctrine nor pointing to 
Him,) were as wolves among sheep. — The words 
" before Me" in this passage are wanting in some 
of the most ancient, as well as in a great number 
of succeeding manuscripts ; yet, allowing them to 
be retained (and there are some powerful argu- 
ments for keeping them), it is certain that many 
of the Teachers of Religion under the Secojid 
Temple were very rapacious persons. An allu- 
sion may also be here made to such impostors as 
Dositheus the Samaritan, Theudas and Judas of 
Galilee (mentioned by Gamaliel, Acts v. 36, 37) , 



JESUS IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD. 



213 



hear, nor obey them. 
entrance into heaven 



I am the DoOr 5 b the Only Way Of b Jesus saith, I am the 
. , , * , » .., Way, and the Truth, and 

if any man, by a true ana lively jaith the Life: no man cometh 



in Me, will enter into the spiritual fold, he shall be saved J£ T 0 ^ ei 6 hut by 
from all his enemies, and shall go in and out in peace, and Through Him we have 

_ rm t • n i -l f access by one Spirit unto 

find wholesome pasture. 1 he thief cometh not but for to the Father. Eph. a. is. 

steal, and to kill (to butcher) the sheep, and maliciously to c w oe be unto the pas- 

destroy • what he cannot carry off: I, on the contrary, am *?£*J£Z %•£ 

come that they who are My sheep might have Life (18) with ture, saith the Lord. Jer. 
fitting nourishment to sustain it, and that they might 
have it more abundantly than they did before — even 
for ever and ever. I am here, not, as you assert, to 

deceive the people, but I come as their Saviour : I am, pre- sheep. Heb. xhi. 20 

eminently, the Good Shepherd ; d (19) and I shall be found herfshd/appearfye^haSi 

receive a crown of glory 
that fadeth not away. 1 
Pet. v. 4. 



d The Lord is my Shep- 
herd. Ps. xxiii. 1. 

— our Lord Jesus, that 
Great Shepherd of the 



acting as such. The good shepherd not only hazardeth, but 
freely giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an 
hireling ( 20 ) [a mere covetous servant), and not the shepherd, 
whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and 
leaveth the sheep, and fleeth that he may save himself: 
and thus the wolf easily catcheth some of them, and 
scattereth the rest of the sheep. e The hireling fleeth 
at the moment of danger, because he is an hireling, 



and careth 
the sheep. f 



e They were scattered 
because there is no shep- 
herd. Ezek. xxxiv. 5. 

f Woe be to the shep- 
herds of Israel that do 
feed themselves! Should 
not the shepherds feed the 
flocks? Ezek. xxxiv. 2. 
Woe to the idol shep- 
that leaveth the 
Zech. xi. 17. 



knoweth 
His. 2 



only for his wages, not for the safety of her <i 
So shall I never be found to do. As I said, 
I am the Good Shepherd, and / know and love My sheep,? tiJ m T that L are 
and am known and beloved of those that are Mine ; h Ti ™" 19> . 

7 If any man Jove God, 

as the Father knoweth Me, even so I (and I also, Gr.) the same is known of 
know the Father. 1 And so great is the love I bear them, ^ lm ' ° r * vm ' 3 ' 
that I lay down My life for the sheep.'") And other 
sheep I have which are not of this fold, k even the poor and * nd halh & ye ? ns 311 un - 

r . derstanding that we may 

despised Gentiles : them also I must bring, through the know Him. 1 John v. 

ministers of My Gospel, into the true fold; and they shall 

(will) gladly hear My Voice. And so at last, of Jew and Son ^ 0 ut Te rSS £ 

ther knoweth any man the Father save the Son. Matt. xi. 27. 

k The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel, saith, Yet will I gather others unto Him, beside those 
that are gathered unto Him. Isa. Ivi. 8. 



all of whom used the authority they had gained 
for their own benefit, not to feed and protect the 
sheep : they were also at last the occasion of de- 
struction to their followers. 

I am come that they might have Life.] That 
the expression " Life" may also here include the 
proper nourishment of life, appears from Deut. 
xxiv. 6 ; where, to take the means of subsistence 
from a man, is said to be " taking a man's life ; " 
and at Mark xii. 44, the poor widow is said to 
have cast into the treasury "all her living." 

( 19 ) / am the Good Shepherd.] This image 
from Pastoral life was the most familiar which 
our Saviour could have used in describing Him- 
self, for it was constantly employed in the writ- 
ings of the Old Testament (see Ps. xxiii. as an in- 
stance). In the East the Shepherd is a character 
of higher moral dignity than with us. — With the 
early Christians the Good Shepherd became a 
very favourite emblem, as appears from its fre- 
quent occurrence on their sepulchral monuments 
in the Roman catacombs. 



( 20 ) He that is an hireling. There will always 
be unworthy Ministers of Christ, who serve Him 
for the sake of gain. It is clear, however, that 
the maintenance of teachers is not here con- 
demned : such maintenance had already been ex- 
pressly ordained by our Lord (see Matt. x. 10 ; 
Luke x. 7: also 1 Cor. ix. 13, 14). 

( 21 ) / lay down My life for the sheep.] The 
use of this expression by our Lord, and some 
similar ones, — such as that He died "for his 
friends'''' (John xv. 13) and "for the Church" 
(Eph. v. 25), — have been commented upon as 
though Christ did not die for all ; but it is not 
said that He died only for them, and the general 
extent of Redemption is plainly declared in many 
other passages. He died also "for the lost 
sheep" (Matt. x. fi) ; " for us when we were ene- 
mies" (Rom. v. 10); "for the unjust" (1 Pet. iii. 
18); and He "tasted death for every man** 
(Heb. ii. 9). See also 1 John ii. 2. 



214 



JESUS DECLARES HIS POWER TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE. 



1 Thus saith the Lord Gentile, there shall be but one fold {a Visible Church — one 

God, Behold I will take 7 , , 7 \ j , j 1 . 

the children of Israel from only ana the same), and one common onepneray presiding 

among the heathen : as th Hmd and Guardian of His Church and people. 

and one King shall be <* Jr r 

King to them ail, and they Therefore, — for this reason more especially, — doth My 

shall be no more two na- „ , , _ , T , , _ - . _ 

tions. Ezek.xxxvii.21,22. Father love Me, because I am content to lay down My life 

between theTewS&e f or the shee P > not ™deed to remain under the power of 

Greek, for the same Lord death, but so that I might take it again by rising from 

over all is rich unto all ' ° . ,. w 

that call upon Him. Rom. the dead. No man taketh it away from Me, either 

X ' He is our peace, who compulsion or before the appointed time, but I lay it 

hath made both one, and down freely of Myself. m Ihave the right to dispose of it as 

hath broken down the T i • i t i 

middle wail of partition / will : I have power to lay it down, and I have the same 

between us. Eph. 11. 14. p Qwer ^ Q ^ a ^ e back a g am# n jVb r w ffl f ne even f happen 

Jlb^^ob^^to f rom any fate or necessity, but it will take place through 
death, even the death of the determinate Counsel of Heaven; for this commandment 

the cross. Phil. ii. 8. J J 

[this commission to offer My life for the sheep) have I 

n Jesus answered and . , „ T -r. 

saith unto them, Destroy received of My 1 ather. 

^ys^iiw^i?^ There was a division (« difference of opinion) therefore 

John ii. 19. again among the Jews for these sayings, which ivere more 



> Then answered the than ever offensive to His enemies, because they pointed to 

Jews and said unto Him, . »«7 a i r . i • i 

Say we not well, That the conversion oj the Gentiles. And many ol them said, as 

^^S? a jo^^ a £ lA ^ iey ^ a< ^ d° ne before, He hath a devil 0 {is possessed with an 

, , , evil spirit) and is mad: why hear ve him, or attend to 

P Who maketh the r ' , 

dumb, or deaf, or the see- what he says ? But others, iv ho were not so malicious, and 

!£tV™^Lard? Exo&. had more discrimination, said, These are not like the words 

iv - J, 1 - _ • , . . of him that hath a devil ; nor are his ivorks of that cha- 

The Lord openeth the 7 / 

eyes of the blind. Ps. racter, for can a devil open the eyes of the blind ?P 

cxlvi. 8. 



SECTION LXXXI. 

The seventy Disciples return, and Jesus gives thanks to the 
Father for their success. 

Matt. xi. 25—30. Luke x. 17—24. 



a How art thou fallen 
from heaven, 0 Lucifer. 
Isa. xiv. 12. 

— Who hath delivered 
us from the power of dark- 
ness, and hath translated 
as into the kingdom of 
His dear Son. Col. i. 13. 



AND while Jesus was yet in Galilee, the Seventy disci- 
ples returned again to Him with joy, saying, Lord, we 
have not only healed diseases according to Thy commission, 
but even the devils themselves are subject unto us through 
the power o/Thy name. 

And He said unto them, Wonder not at this subjection 
of the evil spirits: When I first sent you forth to preach the 
Gospel, I beheld Satan, their prince, fall as quick as light- 
ning from heaven, a (;) and foresaw his downfall from the 
eminence he had attained among men. But you shall 



Q) I beheld Satan fall as lightning from 
heaven. ] This is a bold and figurative expres- 
sion, anticipating the triumph of the Gospel over 
the powers of darkness. The phrase is common 
in profane as well as in the sacred writers : Cicero 



says of Pompey, upon his overthrow, that he 
" had fallen from the stars" {ex astris deci- 
disse); and of Antony, that he "had pulled 
down his colleague from heaven" (Collegam tuum 
de coslo detraxisti). 



JESUS REJOICES AT THE SUCCESS OF THE GOSPEL. 



215 



accomplish greater victories than these. Behold — accord- b Thou shait tread upon 
ing to the promise made of old to God's faithful servants— 

young lion and dragon 

I give unto you miraculous power to tread on serpents and %™*? m $ under 
scorpions, b and to triumph over all the power of the great They shall take up ser- 

r y . . _ — , pents. Mark xvi. 18. 

spiritual Enemy ; and nothing shall by any means hurt And when Paul had 
you. Notwithstanding, rejoice not chiefly in this circum- fSSTLd*] Jd"Sn « 
stance, that the evil spirits are subject unto you; but the fire, there came a viper 

' 1 out of the heat and last- 

rather rejoice because, as heirs of glory, your names are ened on his hand. And 

written in heaven : c ^ 2 ) for, as I have told you before* ! n e to 1he k fire and^iTno 
there will be many, who have cast out devils in My name, harm - Acts xxvhi - 3 > 5 - 
who shall be rejected in the Last Day. the' Bo^of ST plu 

In that hour [At that time, Matt.] Jesus rejoiced in iv. 3. 
spirit at this successful commencement of the Gospel Dis- B nd~SraS ei tf the first 
pensation, and answered and said, I thank Thee, O Father, SXav^m^eb. 23" 
Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things Hethatovercometh,the 

. . „ .in ?\ r ,1 7 • same snaU be clothed ic 

[the mysteries oj the Gospel) from the men who are wise w hite raiment, and 1 will 

and prudent e ( 3 ) in their own eyes, and hast revealed them ^Book ^5rK 

unto such as are in their own esteem but babes f in know- 5 - 

ledge. Even so, Father — / cheerfully acquiesce — for so it d Many will say to Me 

j , . m , . , , in that Day, Have we not 

Seemed gOOd m Ihy Sight. in T hy name cast out 

And turning to His disciples He said, All things in devils?.... And then will 

& ■* * ° I profess unto them. 1 

Heaven and earth, with full power to direct and control never knew you, depart 
them, are delivered unto Me of My Father ;S and no man iniquity. 6 J Matt .^iL* 22, 
knoweth who the Son is, as to His true nature and dignity, 23, 
but the Father: and no man fully knoweth who the , '—and ait confideut 

5 J y that thou thvself art a 

Father is, save the Son, h and he to whomsoever the Son guide of the blind, a light 
will reveal the knowledge of Him. — Come therefore in faith dLkneS,— an° instructor 
unto Me, 1 all ye that labour < 4 > under the distresses of life, fool if h ' a . 

7 J t/ «/ 3 oi babes. Kom. u. 19, 20. 

— I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 1 Cor. i. 19. 

1 Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength. Ps. viii. 2. — But the Lord said unto 
me, Say not, I am a child; for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou 
shalt speak. Jer. i. 7. 

S And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Matt, 
xxvhi. 18. — The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hand. John iii. 35. — He hath put 
all things under His feet. 1 Cor. xv. 27. 

h No man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath 
declared Him. John i. 18. — As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father. John x. 15. 

• Come to Me, that you might have life. John v. 40. 



( 2 ) Rather rejoice, because pour names are 
written in heaven. ] This is one of those figurative 
expressions borrowed from human customs. It is 
usual to record in a book the names of those who 
have certain privileges, or whom the writer de- 
signs to favour or reward. Speaking after the 
manner of men, God is said to do the same with 
reference to eternal life. 

( 3 ) Thou hast hid these things from the wise 
and prudent. ] It is not meant that God really 
wished to hide these things from the wise and 
prudent, but that such was the result through 
their own blind prejudices. Neither does our 
Saviour thank the Father that they were hidden 
from them, but that, such being the result, He 
had revealed them unto the simple and humble- 
minded. 

( 4 ) Come unto Me, all ye that labour, fyc] A 
distinguishing characteristic has long been disco- 



vered in the Hebrew poetry, consisting in what 
is termed " Parallelism" — that is, a certain equa- 
lity or resemblance between the members of each 
period, so that in two lines (or members of the 
same line) things, for the most part, shall answer 
to things, and words to words, as if fitted to each 
other. The same principle may distinctly be 
traced in various parts of the New Testament ; 
and of such passages the present is one of the 
most remarkable. The lines are so arranged 
below as to point the parallelism : 

Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden ; 
And I will give you rest : 

Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me ; 
For I am meek and lowly in heart ; 
And ye shall find rest unto your souls ; 
For My yoke is easy and My burthen is light. 
The parallelisms here marked will appear 
both unquestionable and intentional when the 



216 



THE YOKE OF THE GOSPEL IS EASY. 



k He made Himself of 
no reputation, but took 
upon Him the form of a 
servant, and was made in 
the likeness of men. Phil, 
ii. 7. 

I Walk in the good way, 
and ye shall find rest for 
your souls. Jer. vi. 16. 

We have peace with 
God through our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Rom. v. 1. 

m Stand fast therefore 
in the liberty wherewith 
Christ hath made us free, 
and be not entangled 
again with the yoke of 
bondage. Gal. v. 1. 

n His commandments 
are not grievous. 1 John 
v. 3. 

0 Blessed are your eyes, 
tor they see. Matt. xiii. 
16. 



and are heavy laden with the burden of your sins, and I 
will give you inward peace and rest from them all. Take 
My yoke (the yoke of the Gospel) upon you, and learn as 
teachable disciples of Me ; for, unlike your haughty teachers, 
I am meek and lowly in heart : k and, doing so, ye shall 
find rest — not from the unavoidable afflictions' of the body, 
but assuredly unto your souls. 1 For My yoke m is not 
like your present yoke of bondage, but easy ; and, with the 
help of the Spirit here, and the hope of ultimate reward, 
My burthen is light. 11 

And He turned Him unto His disciples, and said to 
them privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the glorious 
things that ye now see :° for I tell you, that many prophets 
and kings of old have desired to see P those things which 
ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things 
which ye hear, and have not heard them. 



P Of which Salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently. 1 Pet. i. 10. 



SECTION LXXXII. 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan — shewing the extent of 
the Duty towards our Neighbour. 

Lake x. 25—37. 



a Then one of them 
which was a lawyer, asked 
him a question, tempting 
Him, and saying, Master, 
which is the great com- 
mandment in the Law? 
Jesus said unto him, Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy 
God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, and 
with all thy mind. This 
is the first and great com- 
mandment. And the se- 
cond is like unto it, Thou 
shalt love thy neighbour 
as thyself. Matt. xxii. 
35—39. 



AND behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted 
Him — either to make a trial of his skill, or to lead Him 
into the expression of sentiments varying from the Law — 
saying unto Him, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal 
life ? a He said unto him, Surely thou art able to answer 
such a question thyself: What is written in the Law which 
thou professest to teach ? how readest thou ? And he 
(the laivyer) answering, said : This is given as the sum of all 
the Commandments, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
thine entire faculties, even with all thy heart, (1) and with 
all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy 
mind (Deut. vi. 5) ; and thy neighbour in the same manner 
as thou lovest thyself (2) (Lev. xix. 18). And He (Jesus) 



related lines are brought into contact with each 
other; — 

Come unto Me all ye that labour and are heavy laden ; 

For My yoke is easy and My burthen is light; 

And I will give you rest ; 

And ye shall find rest unto your souls ; 

Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, 

For I am meek and lowly in heart. 

( ] ) Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
thy heart §c.~\ The complex of Human Nature 
is altogether described here, in the integrity, yet 
the severalty of its component parts: — Kap'dla 
(heart) denotes the seat of the moral and nobler 



affections: ^vxrj (soul) the animal or sensual; 
laxvs (strength) the bodily powers and faculties ; 
Aidvo'ia (mind) the intellectual.— Besides grati- 
tude for God's benefits, there must be attachment 
to His Service, resignation, hope, fear, joy, &c. ; 
not because Love consists in any one of these 
singly, but in all of them together. The Love 
of God is the principle of all Obedience, and is 
to be made the regulating movement of our 
hearts and lives. 

( 2 ) And thy neighbour as thyself.] "As thy- 
self" (not quantum, but sicui) ; not as much as 
ourselves, for that would be inconsistent with 
the principle of self-love, so wisely implanted in 



THE GOOD SAMARITAN. 



said unto him, Thou hast answered right : this do — if 

indeed it be possible for any man to fulfil the Divine Law b Ye shall keep My 

— and thou shalt live b for ever : thou mightest in that case men^wWch if^man'lfo 

have a legal claim to Life, and ask a recompense of thy live in them. Lev. 

Maker, instead of coming to Him as a suppliant for mercy. 

But thou little knowest the spirituality of the Law* and the 

extensive character of its demands. 

But he, — though he could not pretend that he had done 
his duty towards God, — willing [wishing) to justify himself 
in the enquiry he had made, and to vindicate in some 
measure his consistency as having practised what he taught, 
said unto Jesus, And tell me, Who, in thy estimation, is my 
neighbour (3 ) ; for I have ever esteemed and befriended as I 
ought those of my own nation? 

And Jesus, answering by a parable, said : — X certain 
man from Jerusalem (one of your own countrymen) went 
down to Jericho, (4) and in his way along the dangerous 
road to that city fell among the thieves there, which 
stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him cruelly, 
and departed with their spoil, leaving him half dead. And 
by chance (by coincidence of time and circumstance) there 
came down a certain priest that way, returning from his 
weekly course at Jerusalem : and when he saw him lying 
thus insensible, he thought not of the peculiar and sacred 
obligation incumbent on him, as a teacher of religion, to 
practise universal charity, but inhumanly passed by on the 
other side of the road— fearful, it may be, of legal pollution 
from the dead, or disliking the trouble and expense which he 
might incur. — And likewise, after this, a Levite, W on his 
return home from the service of the Temple, when he was 
arrived at the place, came up and merely looked on him, a And tbey (the Sama _ 
and then passed by, like the priest, on the other side without ritans ) did not receive 

j, , _ . - . .rN Him, because His face 

stretching forth a hand to help him. But a certain bama- was as though He would 
ritan, c ( 6 > as he journeyed, came at length to the spot where f x ° % Jerusalem - Luke 
he was; and when he saw him lie in this dreadful con- . The Jews have no deai- 

. . ^ ings with the Samaritans. 

anion, notwithstanding the national antipathy he would feel Johniv. 9. 



us for our preservation. The affection we bear 
to ourselves must be the rule of our love to 
others ; and evidently it is similarity in kind, not 
equality in degree, which is intended. 

( 3 ) Who is my neighbour?] The light of 
nature alone taught the Roman poet that " no 
human being ought to be indifferent to man ;" 
but the Jew, with Revelation before him, had 
narrowed the definition of " neighbour " to those 
of his own country, or at least of his own religion. 
The plain command to love also " the stranger " 
as themselves (Lev. xix. 34), they interpreted as 
being meant of proselytes. 

( 4 ) Jericho.'] This was a considerable city in 
our Lord's time, being reckoned the second in 
Palestine. It had a royal palace (within the 
walls of which Herod died), an amphitheatre, 
and an hippodrome. Compared with Jerusalem 



(which stood on a hill) its situation was somewhat 
low, as we find intimated in the text. It might 
be about fifteen miles distant, and nearly due east, 
from the Capital. The road between the cities, 
passing over Jordan to Persea, was much fre- 
quented by robbers: Jerome calls it " the Bloody 
Way," and Josephus mentions that a large pro- 
portion of the 40,000 men employed by Herod 
in building the Temple, became highwaymen 
on their dismissal. It appears from several 
Jewish records that a very great number of 
priests resided at Jericho ; and thus (should this 
narrative not be founded on fact, though it pro- 
bably was) we see the propriety of supposing a 
Priest and Levite to be passing that way, without 
any reflection on their sacred offi.ce. 

( 5 ) A Levite.] See Section XIX., Note 1. 

( 6 ) Samaritan. ] See Section XXVI., Note % 



218 



THE GOOD SAMARITAN. 



to a Jew, he immediately had compassion on him; and 
went up to him, and, with remnants torn from his own 
garments, bound up his bleeding wounds, pouring info them 
the customary application of oil and wine, (7) which he had 
with him as provision for his journey ; and then he set and 
supported him on his own beast, and brought him to an 
inn, (8) and there took the necessary care of him for the 
night. And on the morrow, when he departed on the 
business of his journey, he took out all that he could spare 
<* And when he had from his purse, which iv as two Roman pence d(9) (or the 
forTpenny aday^^sent value of two days 9 labour) ; and gave them to the host, and 
them into his vineyard. sa ^ unto him, Take all needful care of him, and what- 

Matt. xx. 2. ' . 

soever thou spendest more for him, when I come back 
again, I will repay it thee. 

Which now of these three, said the Lord to His en- 
e Better is a neighbour quirer, thinkest thou, was a real neighbour,* 5 and evinced 

that is near, than a brother , 7 , . 7 . 7 /» /> 77 , . -i • ji . e it 

far off. Prov. xxvii. io. ^ e ^ mc ^ sympathy oj a fellow-creature, unto mm that, tell 
among the thieves ? And he said, Unquestionably the only 
one who deserved the title of a neighbour, was he that 
shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Thou 
hast answered right ; go, and do thou likewise : be in like 
manner kind to all — even to a Samaritan and an enemy in 
distress ; for not till then wilt thou be acting up to the pre- 
cept of loving thy neighbour. 



( 7 ) Oil and wine.] It was a constant eastern 
custom to carry provisions on a journey (see 
Josh. ix. 12, 13 ; Judg. xix. 19). The antiquity 
of the practice of carrying oil is evident from 
Jacob having it with him on the road (Gen. xxviii. 
18); and that it was used with wine for medicinal 
purposes, appears from the most ancient medical 
writers. — The dangerous custom of pouring heated 



oil into gun-shot wounds, prevailed even in Euro- 
pean armies previous to the sixteenth century. 

( 3 ) An inn.] This was merely a place of 
reception for travellers who carried their own 
stores, though provender could sometimes be 
procured for cattle. 

( 9 ) Two-pence.] This would amount to \s. 3d. 
of our money. See Section C, Note 8. 



219 



SECTION LXXXIII. 

The people are taught — A warning given against covetous- 
ness ; Who is a faithful and wise servant; The danger 
of forming rash judgments. 

Matt. xxiv. 43—51, Luke xii. 13—21, 35—48, 54—57; xiii. 1—9. 

AND one of the company who were assembled to hear 
. Him teach, said unto Him, Master, speak to my 
brother and arbitrate between us, that he may divide the 
inheritance with me and no longer keep me out of my proper 
and legal portion. And He said unto him, Man, who 
made Me either a public judge or a divider (a private ar- 
bitrator) over you? a(1 ) Make your appeal to the appointed a Who made thee a 
civil authorities : it belongs not to My prophetic office, and u^e^h!. a.?4? e ° ver 
consists not with the spiritual nature of My kingdom, to . . Je * us answered, My 

r J v a 7 kingdom is not of this 

interfere in matters of merely-temporal concernment. world. John xviii. 36. 

And, as this applicant had betrayed so much concern 
for his worldly interests, and one at least of the contending 
parties was in a fault, He took so opportune an occasion of 
improvement, and said unto them who were standing by: 
Take heed, and beware of covetousness, b which in its b Covetousness, which 
pernicious effect is nothing less than idolatry, and closes the 1S ^Sove^f^ne 5 ' is 
heart against spiritual things; for the true happiness of a therootof ail evil; which, 

, ' , . r . , . , , , f. , . . while some coveted after, 

man's life consisteth not m the abundance oi the things they have erred from the 

which he possesseth. And to illustrate this, He spake a faith ' 1 iim ' I0 " 

parable unto them, saying: — The ground (The farm) of 

a certain rich man being very fertile brought forth 

plentifully. And at length his increasing wealth begat 

anxiety; and he thought within himself, saying, What 

shall I do, c because I have no room left where to bestow « Ye ought to say, if the 

my fruits (to lay up the produce of my land) } And, coming ^J^WsTv! 

at length to a determination, he said, This is what I will 15 ■ 

do: I will pull down my present incommodious barns and 

build greater ; and there will I bestow in safety all my 

fruits of this year and my goods which are already laid a walk in the ways of 

by in store. When this is done, my toils may cease, and ^ e h , ea ^> and in * e 

a ? J J 3 sight of thine eyes; but, 

then I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods know thou, that for all 

(an abundance of good things) laid up for many years yet to ^Sg thee Sto judgment 1 

come : now take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. d E L e e t s u ^' e ai and drink 

Thus did this foolish man resolve within himself; but mark l Cor. xv. 32. 



(') Who made Me a judge or a divider over 
you ?] An elder brother among the Jews had 
two shares, or twice as much as any other child 
(Deut. xxi. 17). In cases of dispute, adjudica- 
tion was either by " the Consistory of three," or 
by arbitrators chosen by the contending parties. 
Our Lord here declines a decision, not only 
to avoid the envy and calumny of the Jewish 



rulers, but because He had a higher office to 
fulfil, and but little time now left in which to 
discharge it. The ministers of the Gospel are 
thus admonished to attend chiefly to spiritual 
concerns, although, if they can persuade men to 
be reconciled, it is right not to neglect such 
opportunity, — agreeably to the advice afterwards 
given by St. Paul (1 Cor. vi. 3—6). 



220 



WHO IS A FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT. 



« mat is the hope of the event : In the awful course of Divine Providence, God 
£th h gainei, e when^God said unto him (decided respecting him), Thou fool, this 

XxxvTs 7 Ms S ° ld? verv ni § nt tb y soul shaU be re 9 uired of theee h Him who 
Go to now, ye that say, gave it : suddenly thou shalt be removed from thy place, and 

wSfgo Sto t0 such r a W city e , then whose shall all those fleeting things be, which thou 
SdwJnd^ia^S hast 80 carefully provided* and vainly thinkest to enjoy? 
gain: whereas ye know — Take ve warning, then, by the fate of this worldling: 

not what shall he on the / -. . * J J / 

morrow. For what is so utterly foolish is he that layeth up earthly treasure for 
^£L££Sbta himself, and is not rich toward (with respect to) Gods- 
a little while, and then f or f 0 oe truly r ' lca ( s f 0 q{ ve a i ms 0 f sucn things as ye have, 

vanisheth away. James * * a J . . 

iv. 13, 14. and, first of all, to seek those heavenly attainments which 

t He heapeth up riches, alone can procure favour in heaven. 
gtierthe 6 m n °p s vh x^xff might effectually prepare for eternity, He 

6. said also to them : Let your loins be girded about h (2) for 

When he (the rich man) .... i vt.,7 i_ • i j 

dieth, he shall carry no- activity, and your lights always burning, 1 and ye your- 
^H^^af geuethn^chel' se ^ ves like unto faithful men-servants that wait for their 
and not hy right, shall lord, when he will return from the wedding < 3) (the feast 

leave them in the midst of 7.7777 7 . \ ,1 . 1 i .1 j 

his days, and at his end which he has been attending) ; that when he cometn and 

shaiibeafooi. Jer.xvii.11. k noc k et h 5 they may open unto him immediately. Blessed 

s Lay up for yourselves (Truly happy) are those servants, whom the lord when he 

Matt" vt. 2o m eaV ' cometh shall find watching ! Verily, I say unto you, that 

Give aims-, provide there i s no fondness or condescension which he will not shew 

yourselves a treasure in 

the heavens that, faiieth them — as great as though he shall gird himself, and make 
Charge them that are them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve 

S£ them - (4 > And if he sha11 come in the second watch W we 

nor trust in uncertain twelve at night), or come in the third watch (between mid- 

riches, but in the living " . . v 

God; that they be rich night and three in the morning), and find them, early or 

SfcfflLTTX^ £ late > *>P"P™*> blessed are those servants! 

store for themselves a And this you know — to take another example of worldly 

good foundation against . " * 1 1 

the time to come, that vigilance and caution — that if the good man of the house 

eternarSe. la i Tim. v? ( a housekeeper) had known at what hour, or in what 

17— 19 - watch of the night, the thief would come, he would have 

h Stand therefore, hav- diligently watched, and would not, for want of due pre- 

i^^tfa^il^tf^ caution, have suffered his house to be broken through. 

No man that warreth j> ne Ufa watchfulness is demanded of Christians in spiritual 

entangleth himself with ^ ^ * 

the afiairs of this life, things : Be ye therefore ready also ; for the Son of man, 

2 Tim. ii. 4. 

Gird up the loins of your mind. 1 Pet. i. 13. 

> They that were fooiish took their lamps, and took no oil with them; but the wise took oil in their vessels with 
their lamps. Matt. xxv. 3, 4. 



(" 2 ) Let your loins be girded about.'] The 
dress of the ancients being loose and flowing, 
it was necessary to gird themselves with a gir- 
dle before they «ould engage in any active 
employment (see Luke xvii. 8; John xiii. 4). 
The phrase came to signify men's applying them- 
selves actively to any sort of work, and the 
voluptuous were proverbially called " discincti." 
In time it came also to be applied to the soldiers 
of Christ, because being girded was eminently 
the military habit (see Eph. vi. 14). 

( 3 ) From the wedding.] The original, being 
in the plural, denotes a feast generally. All 
great entertainments in the East were given in 



the evening, and it was often late before the 
guests separated. 

( 4 ) And will come forth and serve them.] It 
appears that it was the custom of masters to 
wait on their slaves during the Roman Satur- 
nalia, and similar condescensions were practised 
among the Cretans and Babylonians at their 
feasts : but the image here only imports that our 
Heavenly Master (who came, as He said of Him- 
self, " not to be ministered unto but to minister " 
to others ; and who, on one occasion, actually 
girded Himself to wash His disciples' feet) will 
amply reward the diligence and fidelity of His 
servants. 



THE PUNISHMENT OF THE UNFAITHFUL. 



221 



your Divine Lord and Master, cometh, " as a thief in the k Watch, therefore, for 
night/' to summon you to death and judgment at an hour Cr^h^hour^Lrehilhe 

When ye think not Of it> Son of man cometh. Matt. 

J . . . xxv. 13. 

Then Peter said unto Him, Lord, speakest Thou this Take ye heed, watch 
parable unto us, Thine Apostles and the ministers of thy when'S time k kn °Mark 
Gospel, or even to all? And the Lord said; "What I xii L 33 ' , , T , 

r 7 The day of the Lord 

say unto you, I say unto all, Watch" [Mark xiii. 37)- But so cometh as a thief in the 
I put this question more particularly to you, the appointed m iff therefore? thou shait 
Guides of My Church: Who then, with a more sacred obli- ^ watch i w m come on 

J v , * nee as a thief, and thou 

gation, is that faithful and wise steward [[servant, Matt.], shait not know what hour 

whom his lord shall make ruler over all his household, 1 to n e \. m^s? Up ° n ee ' 

give them their portion of meat (their allowance of pro- i His lord said unto 

vision) in due season ? m Blessed (Truly happy) is that him ; ^Y e ! 1 d ° ne ' thou 

' i-iii i i if/ r good 311(3 faithful servant, 

servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so thou hast been faithful 

doing ! Of a truth I say unto you, that he will advance male* thee th ru£ 1 over 

him to yet greater favour and honour, and will make him ^s 9 - Matt - 

ruler over his goods and all that he hath. n But and if, Let a man so account 

on the contrary, that evil servant shall say in his heart, My of ChrSt,°and ste^ardsof 

lord delay eth his coming home; and shall audaciously Moreo^erit^ ?reqmred°in 

begin to smite his fellow-servants w (the men-servants and stewards, that a man be 

maidens), and to eat and drink to excess and to be drunken; i, 2. U ' ° r ' 1V ' 

the lord of that servant will be sure to come in a day when u The eyes of all wait 

he looketh not for him, and in an hour when he is not ?P on Thee > 0 f' ord ' , an . d 

7 lhou givest them their 

aware, and, commanding that he be severely scourged for meat in due season. p s . 
such perfidiousness, will cut him as it were asunder ; (6) and Every scribe which is 
will appoint him his portion with the hypocrites and un- do^^eav^L^ 
believers (those incorrigible slaves who dissemble and are j mto a man that is an 
unfaithful): there, — in that miserable place of punishment, e th form out^of °Ms tea* 
—shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth! And that jg fc ^^™ ddi 



And Joseph found 



servant which knew his lord's will, and prepared not 

himself for his coming, neither did according to his will, grace in his masters sight", 

shall be beaten with many stripes : < 7) but he that knew it he maae^him^verteer 

not, and yet, as not having ascertained his lord's will, did JJJJ jjjjjj^j jJJ^JJ 

commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten only with his hand. Gen. xxxix.4. 
few stripes. 0 For unto whomsoever much is given, of ° And if a soul sin, and 

him shall much be required; and to whom men have commit any of these things 

* 7 which are forbidden to 

committed much, of him they will ask the more. he done by the command- 



( 5 ) Begin to smite his fellow-servants.] This 
is an allusion to those disciples who would after- 
wards apostatize (see 2 Pet. ii. 2, 22), and who 
persecuted such of their brethren as continued 
faithful (see Matt. x. 21, and xxiv. 10). 

( K ) Will cut him asunder.] That this 
punishment was literally inflicted on rebels and 
others, appears from the Old Testament. Ac- 
cording to tradition the prophet Isaiah suffered 
in this manner, to which circumstance St. Paul 
is thought to allude (Heb. xi. 37). It appears 
from classical writers to have been practised by 
certain noted tyrants : thus Suetonius says (in 
vita Calig.) Multos honesli ordinis medios serra 
dissecuit. Tertullian also speaks (Apol. cap. iii.) 
of this punishment as having been inflicted on 
some who had been false to their creditors ; and 



it is said to be still sometimes practised by the 
western Moors in Barbary. The expression 
must be here understood of a very severe flagel- 
lation (a figure common to most languages, 
ancient and modern), for the servant is repre- 
sented as surviving the punishment. 

( 7 ) Shall be beaten with many stripes. ] For a 
heavy offence the Jews inflicted forty stripes 
(Deut. xxv. 3). Our Lord does not make, accord- 
ing to His usual custom, any application of this 
parable, but it is sufficiently plain. The prac- 
tice of religion is required of us in proportion 
to our knowledge ; and the punishment of 
those who sin against fuller light and greater 
opportunities (as especially in the case of un- 
faithful ministers) will be proportionably great. 



222 



AGAINST FORMING RASH JUDGMENTS. 



mentoftheLord; though And He said also to the people: When ye see a cloud 

he wist it not, yet is he - , 7 \ • « 

guilty, and shall bear his (the ivell-known cloud) rise out of the west,P f8) straight- 

ln Ye 1 Saii L hIve V one law wa Y y e sa y* There cometh a heavy shower : and commonly 

for him that sinneth so it is. And when ye see ( find) the south wind blow, ye 

through ignorance. But J w . / ' J 

the soul that doeth aught say, Inere will be much heat; and so it cometh to pass. 
reproSSh Ael^rd! and Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of 
;?o a mTl^ 1 h'% C :cpi°e ff the earth > ™ d >f™™ the signs they give, can foresee the 
Numb. xy. 29, 30. coming changes of the weather; but how is it that, with 

I obtained mercy, be- ±m i • j • ? -, 

cause i did it ignorantly, still clearer signs and even miraculous tokens to guide you, 
in unbelief. iTim.i.i3. ye do not discern this as the time of the Messiah's com- 

P Behold there ariseth on ~\t it r i . -»*-.-, 

a little cloud out of the m £f ? H * ea > and why even of yourselves, without My aid, 
Xnd^aTe to pass/that j ud S e ? e not > as V e 80 what » reasonable and 

the heaven was black with right ? (9) 

clouds and wind, and . . 

there was a great rain. 1 nere were present at that season (on the same occa- 

1 fo P et i 'f'- 46 s Si °^ S ° me t0ld ° f ^ GalileanS ^ Wh ° Se bl °° d 

carl d^scern^rfaSof the the Roman governor Pilate, having come upon them in the 
cem b the TgnT T te Tem P le the time of the Passover, had mingled with their 
times? Matt. xvi. 3. sacrifices C 1 °> (with the blood of the victims which were at 



( 8 ) When ye see a cloud rise out of the west.] 
This was a well-known phenomenon in Judea, 
betokening rain. The Great Sea lay westward 
of Palestine, and the cloud appeared to rise from 
it, as in the case of Elijah's prediction of rain 
being fulfilled (see in the Margin). 

( 9 ) Why even of yourselves judge ye not what 
is right ?] The right of unlimited liberty in mat- 
ters of faith has been deduced from the words 
which are here incidentally spoken. But although 
our Reformation, so glorious in many respects, 
clearly brought out the important principle of 
Private Judgment, it did not empower each indi- 
vidual Christian, — in abuse of the right conferred 
upon him, — to carry (as Luther said) " a Pope 
within." Those who speak most of the absolute 
sufficiency of Scripture, will sometimes be found 
to be those, who make some favourite dogma of 
their own the corner-stone of Protestantism, and 
are zealous for their religion only in so far as 
they have made it for themselves : they profess 
to worship the sincere Word, but they consecrate 
by that name their own interpretation ; they talk 
of taking the pure ore from the mine, but they 
must have it stamped with their own image and 
superscription. 

It must be clear that we can no more renounce 
Private Judgment than we can cease to be men. 
Reason becomes the ultimate appeal ; and so far 
only can we take the highest human authority 
for our guide, as, " in manifesting the Truth, it 
commends itself to our Conscience in the sight of 
God" (see 2 Cor. iv. 2). It is equally clear 
that Holy Scripture is sufficient, without any 
foreign aid, to teach all things requisite to salva- 
tion ; but then this is on the supposition that 
it offers itself to a rightly-informed understand- 
ing, guided by an honest heart, and aided by 
the Holy Spirit. In itself it is perfect and com- 
plete as a standard or written record of Truth : 
yet surely with the generality of men, — ignorant 
and evil-disposed as we see them, — a Written 
Record (abounding with confessedly difficult 
passages) requires an interpreter ; and that it 
may be safely and thoroughly understood, a duly- 



constituted interpreter must be, at the least, 
useful to all (consult Acts viii. 30, 31). — Private 
Judgment has proved no security against the 
most pernicious errors of doctrine, and even in 
fundamental points it has not sufficed to pro- 
duce agreement of opinion. Accordingly our 
wise Reformers were careful to guard against an 
abuse of this right by preserving due authority 
in their own branch of the Church : they quote 
the ancient writers with great respect, and appeal 
to them largely in controversy: in the 6th Ar- 
ticle they call attention not only to what is read 
in Scripture, but also to what " may be proved 
thereby"— particularly specifying the Creeds of 
the Church in the 8th Article: and by the 
Canons of 1571, the Clergy are required to 
" teach nothing save what is agreeable to the 
doctrine of Scripture, and what in the way of 
interpretation the Catholic bishops collected from 
it." A writer of some celebrity, who furnished 
the well-known axiom, " The Bible only is the 
religion of Protestants," thus states what he con- 
sidered to be the leading principle of the Reform- 
ation: "Malice alone can deny that the intent 
was, to reduce Religion to that original purity 
from which it was fallen:" and, after comparing 
some differences among the Reformers, he says, 
" They did best who followed Scripture inter- 
preted by Catholic written Tradition, which rule 
the Reformers of the Church of England pro- 
posed to follow 1 " (see Chillingworth's Works). 

( 10 ) Whose blood Pilate had mingled with their 
sacrifices.] The Galileans were reckoned among 
the most seditious people in Judea.. The 
sufferers on this occasion may have been either 
followers of Judas of Galilee (mentioned Acts v. 
37), or some of Herod's native subjects, who, 
being at Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, had suf- 
fered there during the sedition of Barabbas. 
This act of violence would account for the anger 
of Herod towards Pilate, and his appearing with 
an armed force to protect his subjects during the 
Passover when our Lord suffered (Luke xxiii. 
11, 12). — Josephus has not alluded to the 
slaughter by Pilate here spoken of, but he 



THE UNFRUITFUL FIG-TREE. 



223 



the moment being offered tip on their behalf). And Jesus 
answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these slaught- 
ered Galileans were notorious sinners above all the other 
Galileans, and marked out as especial objects of God's 
wrath, because they suffered such dreadful things ? I tell 
you, Nay; to his own Master each standeth or falleth, and 
none must presume to judge in this manner of the dispen- 
sations of Providence : but except ye repent, ye likewise 
{after as violent and sudden a manner) shall all perish : 
Such judgments are intended as a warning for all, and 
therefore, instead of drawing conclusions against others, be 
careful of your own conduct. — Or again ; those eighteen 
upon whom the tower in (at) Siloam fell (12 ^ and slew them, 
think ye that they were notorious sinners above all men 
that dwelt in Jerusalem ? I tell you, Nay ; but, except ye 
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 

He spake also this parable in further illustration of the 
warning He had given them :• — A certain man had a fig- 
tree planted in his vineyard, and he came at each succes- 
sive season and sought fruit thereon/ and found none. 
Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these 
three years (13 ) I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and 
find none : Cut it &ovm % forthwith ; why cumbereth it any 
longer the ground, for it only consumes the moisture of the 
land, and renders it unproductive for other plants ? And he 
answering said unto him, Lord, / beseech thee to let it alone 
this one year also, till I shall dig about it and lay dung to 



records a similar severity of that governor I feasts (Joseph. Antiq. xx. 5). During their 

towards the Samaritans, as well as several great i last internal dissensions the blood stood in pools 

tumults at the principal Festivals, — some of which within the sacred precincts, " many falling be- 

were accompanied with conflicts in the Temple | fore their sacrifices, and sprinkling the altar with 

itself. It was within the sacred precincts that | their blood;" and at length the flower of the 

Archelaus slaughtered three thousand Galileans ! nation perished, multitudes of them within the 

in an act of sedition. Temple, while assembled to celebrate the Pass- 

( u ) Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise < over (De Bell. Jud. v. 1, and vi. 9). 
perish."] This is plainly written also "for our | ( 12 ) Upon ivhoin the tower in Siloam fell.] The 
learning.' ' It teaches, that we must not presume | Fountain of Siloam was just without the walls of 
to pry into the secrets of Divine Providence. [ Jerusalem, and the persons here referred to (who 
From a certain line of intemperate or profligate ; were no doubt frequenting it, according to cus- 
conduct, certain results may indeed be expected torn, for Purification) must have been killed by 
to follow ; and the sufferings or ultimate ruin of ! the fall of one of the towers of the city wall, pro- 
such persons should not surprise us, for they are ! bably called " the Siloam tower" as being in the 
the general symptoms of God's providential i immediate vicinity of the Fountain. We know 
government : but whatever is signal or unusual, | no more of the occurrence itself than what St. 
is, by the very definition, not sufficiently within J Luke here records : but the prediction of a simi- 
the scope of our daily experience to furnish j lar fate awaiting the unrepentant Jews was (as 
materials of safe induction. The lesson of such in the preceding case) fully accomplished in the 
remarkable events is, that we be " not high- \ last fatal war with the Romans. Multitudes (as 
minded, but fear :" we learn a plain lesson of j Josephus relates) were crushed by the falling of 
gratitude that we are yet spared for repentance, ; the towers as well as destroyed by the enemy, 
and of awe, lest even now our repentance should and some were found literally buried in the 
be too late. I ruins. 

Considering our Lord's words in this place as j ( l3 ) Three years.] This was the period after 

a prediction on those to whom they were imme- I planting at which fig-trees, if they bore at all, 

diately addressed, their literal accomplishment I generally began to do so. There may be (as 

remarkably appears from their own historian. •. some think) an allusion here to the period of our 

Under the president Cumanos twenty thousand Lord's Ministry among the Jews, after which 

perished in the Temple at one of their great j they were justly considered as irreclaimable. 



r I have chosen you and 
ordained you, that ye 
should go and bring forth 
fruit : and that your fruit 
should remain. John xv. 
16. 

I desire fruit that may 
abound to vour account. 
Phil, iv. 17'. 

* And the Lord said un- 
to Moses, I have seen this 
people, and behold it is a 
stiffnecked people : Now, 
therefore, let Me alone, 
that My wrath may wax 
hot against them, and that 
I may consume them. 
Exod.'xxxii. 9, 10. 



224 



THE DANGER OF NEGLECTING GOD'S WARNINGS. 



t Therefore He said, 
that He ■would destroy 
them, had not Moses His 
chosen stood before Him 
in the breach, to turn 
away His wrath, lest He 
should destroy them. Ps. 
cvi. 23. 

The Lord is long suffer- 
ing to us-ward ; not will- 
ing that any should perish, 
but that all should come 
to repentance. 2 Pet. iii. 
which beareth thoms and 



it : and if it bear fruit, it will be well spared ; and if it 
bear not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. 1 — Such is 
God's forbearance towards all His people: He listens to 
My intercessions on your behalf; but if, after repeated 
mercies and warnings, you remain unfruitful under the 
means of Grace vouchsafed, then you in like manner must 
be cut off, 

9. — Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away. John xv. 2. — That 
briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing ; whose end is to be burned. Heb. vi. 8. 



SECTION LXXXIV. 

A WOMAN WHO HAD BEEN BOWED TOGETHER FOR EIGHTEEN YEARS, 
IS RESTORED BY JESUS ON A SABBATH-DAY. 



A 



Luke xiii. 10 — 17. 

ND He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the 
Sabbath : and behold, there was a woman in the con- 
» But an evil spirit trou- gregation which had a spirit of infirmity a {was possessed by 
e au . am. xvi. . ^ spirit that had inflicted extreme weakness upon her) 
for eighteen years; and she was bowed together by this 
infirmity, and could in no wise lift herself up so as to 
stand upright. 

And when Jesus saw her, knowing her to be one well 
deserving of His favour, He called her to Him, and said 
unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. W 
And, as He uttered these words, He laid His hands on her: 
and immediately she was made straight, and glorified the 
Lord God, from whom she had received such mercy. 

And the ruler of the synagogue answered, in reference 
to this cure, with pretended indignation because that Jesus 
i» Six davs shalt thou na ^ healed on the Sabbath-day, and said unto the people : 
labour and do ail thy There are six days allowed by the Law in which men ought 

work. Exod. xx. 9. J Y. ° 

to work ; b in some of them therefore come and be healed, 

e And He said unto loii-ii mi tit 

them, What man shall and not on the oabbath-day. Ihe .Lord then answered 
5L™%'2 him by appealing, as He had before done on a like occasion, 
if it fail into a pit on the f 0 their own practice, and said : Thou hypocrite, — excited 

Sabbath-day will he not f ' , 7 /» 

lay hold on it, and lift it as thou art by envy against Me, and not by zeal for the 

out? How much then is r ±. i_ c j.ioi_1j_T-1 

a man better than a sheep? Law, — Doth not each one or you on the babbatn loose 
wherefore it is lawful to ^is ox or n j s ass f rom t ^ e sta ll, and lead him away to 

do well on the Sabbath- g 7 J 

days Matt. xii. ii, 12. watering ? c (2) You do this for a beast that you may free it 



(0 Thou art loosed from thine infirmity."] The 
loosing or releasing from the disease, as described 
here and at the close of the next paragraph, 
corresponds with the loosing of beasts taken to 
water. But it was also customary with the 
Greek and Hebrew writers to compare disorders 
to chains and ropes, by which men are, as it 
were, held bound. 



( 2 ) Lead him away to watering.'] The Jews 
permitted work to be done on the Sabbath which 
required more labour than this. Thus, water 
might be drawn for the use of beasts, and poured 
into troughs, as we find expressly mentioned 
in Rabbinical writers. 



JESUS REBUKES THE RULER OF THE SYNAGOGUE. 



225 



from the uneasiness of thirst, and you consider yourselves 
justified by the mercy of the work, servile though it be: 
And ought not this woman, — who came not here, as you 
would insinuate, to be healed, but to attend God's service, 
being a true daughter of Abraham d in her faith as ivell as 
by descent, and whom Satan hath by God's permission 
bound, e(3) lo, these eighteen years, — to be loosed from this 
afflicting bond on the Sabbath-day ? This, surely, is a far 
more important woi^k ; and it is one which has required no 
labour, being effected only by a word. 

And when He had said these things, all His adversaries, 
— for there were some present who had taken part with the 
ruler, — were ashamed f and completely silenced. And all 
the common people then present rejoiced at this triumph, 
and for all the other glorious things that were done bv 
Him. 



d And Jesus said unto 
him, This day is Salva- 
tion come to this house, 
forasmuch as he also is a 
son of Abraham. Luke 
xix. 9. 

e And the Lord said 
unto Satan, Behold he is 
in thine hand, but save his 
life. So went Satan forth 
from the presence of the 
Lord, and smote Job with 
sore boils, from the sole of 
his foot unto his crown. 
Job ii. 6, 7. 

— to deliver such an one 
unto Satan, for the de- 
struction of the flesh, that 
the spirit may be saved in 
the Day of the Lord Jesus. 
1 Cor. v. 5. 

f All that are incensed 
against Him shall be 
ashamed. Isa. xlv. 24. 



SECTION LXXXV. 

Jesus, on His way to Jerusalem, declines making a direct 
reply to the question, " are there but few that be 

SAVED?" HE DECLARES THAT He SHALL BE PUT TO DEATH IN 
THAT CITY. 

Matt, xxiii. 37—39. Luke xiii. 22—35. 

AND He went through the cities and villages of Galilee, 
teaching the Gospel wherever He came, and journey- 
ing by short stages toward Jerusalem, to attend there the 
approaching feast of the Dedication. 

Then said one unto Him, Lord, are there few only that 
shall be saved ? But Jesus declined to reply to a merely- 
curious, if not captious question, which could tend to no 
profit : And He said to the inquirer, and unto them who 
stood by, Learn rather how Salvation is to be attained; for 
it is the proper business of man, not to pry into what God 
has hidden, but to attend to what He has revealed. There- 
fore strive [struggle with every nerve) while the opportunity strait ga t e e r . 7 MaxL At is. 
is offered, to enter in at the strait (through the narrow) . w <f k out J 0 ™ ow " 

M * \ a i salvation, with tear and 

gate a (1) that leadeth to eternal life : for many, I say unto trembling, phi. h. 12. 



_ ( 3 ) Whom Satan hath bound.] That some- 
times diseases were, by the Divine permission, 
brought on men by the agency of evil spirits, 
would appear from the histories of Job and Saul ; 
and such a dispensation is no more improbable, 
than that wicked men should be allowed to injure 
their fellow-creatures. The Jews believed that 
all remarkable disorders proceeded from the ope- 
ration of some malignant demon : their writers 
quote Ps. xci. 6 ; and from Heb. ii. 14, it would 



seem they considered that Satan had the power 
of death itself. 

( x ) Strive to enter in at the strait gate.] The 
original word here rendered " strive''' 1 is a very 
significant and forcible metaphor, borrowed from 
those who wrestled or contended in the Olympic 
games. It- implies strictly " to strive as in an 
agony,'"' and shews that the Christian conflict is 
a severe one, requiring courage, and, above all, 

Q 



22G 



THE JEWS ARE WARNED OF THEIR REJECTION. 



»> Ye shall seek Me, you, will at last importunately seek to enter in, and shall 
johnvii. 34. 1 ' (will) not be able, b because their efforts are made too late. 
shai? ciie n in ee y 0 ^ e 'sins d When once the master of the house is risen up from his 
John via. 2i. seat at table, and hath shut to (fastened) the door, and ye 

c And the door was begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, 

shut. Afterward came t-iti . -i-i-in i 

also the other virgins, say- Juord, .Lord, open unto us ; and he shall answer and say 
u?' L Bnt He d answered un ^° Y 0VL > as un ^° strangers, I know you not whence ye 
and said, Verily I say are : c then shall ye begin to say, Lord, we have eaten and 

unto vou, I know you , , . , 7 , , . 

not. Matt. xxv. 10— 12. drunk m thy presence w ana company, and thou hast 
d And i say unto you taught in our streets, dwelling among us and holding 
That many shall come f am m ar intercourse with us. But he shall finally say, I tell 

from the east and west, ^ j j j ? 

and shall sit down with you again, I know not whence ye are ; henceforth you are to 

Abraham, and Isaac, and . j, , 7 , 7 77 7 t 7 j- 7 

Jacob, in the kingdom of me as stranger s ; for though ye nave called me, Lord, Lord, 
ofa^iiBgdom 6 srSfbe V e ^ ave n °t done the things which I said. I say unto you, 
cast out into outer dark- therefore, in the language of the Psalmist, Depart from Me 
mg and gnashing of teeth, all ye habitual workers of iniquity (Ps. vi. 8). 
^Lheid^io a great And so 1 sa V to ail °f V ou of the faith of Abraham, who 
multitude, which no man continue faithless and disobedient, Ye must be rejected at 

eould number, of all na- ~ . " 

tions, and kindreds, and last, inere shall be weeping and gnashing or teeth when 
before^ rtirone" and be^ y e > t ne once favoured seed, shall see your fathers, Abraham, 
fore the Lamb,ciothed with anc [ i saac anc { Jacob, and all the holy prophets, rewarded 

white robes, and palms m / 7 arc? 

tneir hands. Rev. vii. 9. in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. 

e Thus saith the Lord, Even the despised Gentiles shall be preferred before you ; 

M^lh-stbom 7 ExodTiv! an d tnev sna ^ come in multitudes from all paints of the 

22 - „ , world. — -from the east, and from the west, and from the 

Unto you first— God ' ' . 9 m ~ 

having raised up His Son north, and from the south, — and shall sit down with the 
you^^c^iiLTe! 0 WesS patriarchs and prophets in the kingdom of God, d owned with 
it was necessary that f nem as jjj s children, and associated together in bliss. And 

the Word of God should 7 " 

first have been spoken to behold, thus it shall happen, that there are last (the Gen- 

S you^ anTjudgey^ur 1 - tiles ivho are called the latest) which shall be first; and 

£un4S^ there are firste ( God ' s first-born, the Jews, to whom the 

the Gentiles. Acts xhi. Gospel is now first preached) which shall be last. f 

The Gospel of Christ is The same day, while Jesus ivas yet ivithin the borders of 

rtvSZTtaSSy 11 ^ G aMee, there came certain of the Pharisees, friends of the 

that ^beiieveth; — to the Tetrarch, Herod Antipas,- — saying unto Him, with the hope 

Greek. Rom. i. 16, of intimidating and getting rid of Him, Get thee out of 

f So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called but few chosen. Matt. xx. 16. 



Perseverance. Several similar allusions are found 
in St. Paul's Epistles. — The necessity of conti- 
nued Perseverance has ever been insisted on by 
the Church; and none but those who practise it 
can become holy in the sight of God (see Col. i. 22, 
23 ; Heb. iii. 6, 14 ; x. 38, 39). As a conse- 
quence of this doctrine, our own Church also 
holds, in opposition to the " sensible experiences" 
contended for by Sectarians, that a positive As- 
surance of eternal salvation is not the privilege 
of the Christian. He may experience an inward 
testimony of his continuance in the state of Rege- 
neration, and be filled with all joy and peace in 
believing : he may possess what the Scriptures 
plainly allow of, "a full assurance of faith" 
(Heb. x. 22), and "a full assurance of hope" 
(Heb. vi. 11), but not a full assurance of salva- 



tion, which they nowhere promise. — The passage 
in the text is also opposed to the dogma of 
Calvin ; for if men must, as it were, force a pas- 
sage through the narrow gate of Life, then none 
can be excluded by God's absolute decree, fixing 
the number of the elect, and precluding the efforts 
of those who are willing to attain to it. See Sec- 
tion C, Note 10. 

( 2 ) We have eaten and drunk in thy presence.^ 
This is merely a mode of address, denoting fa- 
miliar intercourse — a popular way of exciting 
recollection of a person. No Sacramental allusion 
can be here intended, yet the lesson conveyed in 
the context may be profitably applied to those 
who eat and drink at the Lord's Table, and 
afterwards prove themselves unworthy partici- 
pants of that holy mystery. 



JESUS REPLIES TO THE EMISSARIES OF HEROD ANTIPAS. 



227 



this territory if thou art wise, and depart hence as quickly 
as thou canst ; for else Herod will kill thee. And He said 
calmly unto them. Go ye, and tell that fox^ 3 > {that dissem- 
bling prince), that he is utterly without pretext in seeking to 
persecute Me : I am engaged in doing good and in works 
of charity : Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures 
to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be per- 

fecteds — / continue for some brief time longer to prosecute g Neither count i m ? 

the duties of My office; after which I shall be consecrated g£ f^jfi 

to it by death, and shall finish My course: your master course with j oy . Actsxx. 

need not therefore be eager to destroy One who is shortly to — not as though i had 

be sacrificed. Nevertheless, / tell you that no malice or were* 7 ^xel^'^tSlll. 

power of earthly princes can hinder either My stay or My Ph ^^ e JJ ptain of their 

journey hence: I must walk [go on in My appointed course) salvation, perfect through 

to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following : for it cannot sufifcnngs> Heb- 

well be that a Prophet perish out of Jerusalem: there is t^H^J^^ 

the supreme court of the Sanhedrim which can alone ad- be , at one > and wiled an- 

x • ^ m other, and stoned another. 

judge on such pretensions ; and that unhappy city, which Matt. xxi. 35. 

has been so often stained with sacred blood, must also be the i As an eagle fluttered 

scene of My sufferings, and will fill up the full measure of SiniTfi^SS 

its iniquity! O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ! which killest the them, heareth them on her 

. . 1 7 r „ wings : so the Lord alone 

prophets, and stonest them that are sent by ixoa as His did lead him. Deut.xxxii. 

Ambassadors unto thee, h how often, by the voice of My me mider the sha _ 

Prophets, would I have gathered thy children together ^ ° f Th F win s s - Ps - 

under My protection, as a hen doth gather her chickens in the shadow of Thy 

[her brood, Luke] under her wings, 1 (4) and ye would not ^JP ^ my re * 

come nor hear My call. I have now inMine own person He shall cover thee with 

* J His feathers, and under 

besought you, and all entreaty has been in vain. Behold His wings shait thou 

the P salmis fs prediction verified in your well-merited fate : 1US ' s ' XC1 ' 

Your house is to be abandoned and left unto you desolate* lat k e trned 

(see Ps. Ixix. 25): no lonqer shall your Temple be honoured with fee: J our land > 

' -1 »i t xx strangers devour it m your 

with My presence. And verily, I say unto you, Henceforth presence, and it is deso- 

(After a while) ye shall not see Me till the time come when sSangeL 7. 7" by 
ye shall say, with David, where he predicts My sufferings 
and triumph, — " Blessed is He that cometh in the 
name of the Lord \" (Ps. cxviii. 26). Then you would 
be glad to hail Me as the Messiah coming for your deliver- 
ance, but I shall appear for vengeance ! 



( 3 ) Go ye, and tell that fox. ] The law of " not 
reviling rulers" (Exod. xxii. 28) was not consi- 
dered to be infringed by prophets, whose power 
was superior io the Law as regarded reproof of 
offenders (Jer. i. 7 — 10). They do not hesitate 
to address bad princes as wolves or lions (see 
Ezek. xxii. 27 ; Zepb. iii. 3).—" That fox" was 
an expression not very vituperative among the 
ancients : it was chiefly employed by our Lord 
as suitable to Herod's crafty disposition, and it 
showed His intimate knowledge of the secret 
policy of that prince on the present occasion. A 
proverb was then current, " Honour even the 
fox in the day of his power." — Jesus had now 
become particularly obnoxious to Herod as bear- 



ing constant testimony to the Baptist's innocence ; 
but he feared the people too much to take away 
His life, and sent these Pharisees instead to 
alarm and drive Him from Galilee. 

( 4 ) As a hen doth gather her chickens under 
her wings.] This beautiful image, which our 
Lord addresses to his malicious assailants in a 
spirit so far from the natural one of resentment, 
is quite inexplicable in the mouth of a merely 
human teacher. It is suitable to God alone, 
whom Moses had compared to an eagle flutter- 
ing over her young, and whom the Psalmist en- 
treats to hide him under the shelter of Hia 
wings (see the References in the Margin). 

a 2 



228 



SECTION LXXXVI. 

Jesus, dining with a Pharisee on the Sabbath, heals a man 
who had the dropsy ; and delivers the parable of the 
Marriage Supper. 



A' 



Luke xiv. 1 — 24. 

ND, while He was upon His journey, it came to pass, 
as He went into the house of one of the chief Phari- 
sees to eat bread on the Sabbath-day, that they of that 
sect, who had been also invited, watched Him whether he 
would heal on that day, that they might accuse Him as a 
transgressor of the Laiv. 

And behold, there was a certain man present before 
Him (1) which had the dropsy. And Jesus, answering to 
their malicious thoughts, spake unto the lawyers and Pha- 
risees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath-day ? — 
do you look upon a benevolent deed as inconsistent with the 
spirit of the Law, or with the sacred rest which it requires ? 
And they cautiously held their peace. — And He took him 
by the hand, and healed him, and let him go ; and 
answered them, as he had done on former like occasions, 
saying : — Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen 
accidentally into a pit, and will not straightway, without a 
moment's scruple as to the propriety of the act, pull him 
• Doth not eacaof you out on the Sabbath-day ? a And will you show a kindness 
ox ot 6 h^s? fro°m the to V our beast ™ distress, which you refuse to one of your 
stall, and lead him away brethren ? — And thev, confounded by this appeal to common 

to watering? And ought . u I tt- 

not this woman, beint? a sense ana to their own practice, could not answer Him 
tSS^wJbSS again to these things. 

lo, these eighteen years, And He put forth a parable by way of moral instruc- 

be loosed from this bond , r r . „ 

m the Sabbath-day? Luke tion to those which were bidden to the feast, when He 
marked how they chose out the chief rooms (2) {the first 
i» stand not in the place places at table), as presuming on their reputed wisdom; 
■f great men- for better saying unto them, Remember the qood advice of Solomon: 

s it that it be said unto J ° \ a ° 

hee, Come up hither, than When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding (to a 

ihat thou shouldest be put s> ,\ •„ ,i • „i t • i , v. /' >i n • 

lower in the presence of J east), sit not down m the highest room D {in the first 
lyes P have e ierT ProT Pl ace )> l est a man more honourable and distinguished 
xxv. 6, 7. than thou be also bidden of him ; and so he that bade 



(') There was a certain man before Him. ] How 
this man came to be present cannot be deter- 
mined. If he was dismissed from the house 
after the cure, be could scarcely be one of the 
Pharisee's household. He might have obtained 
admittance, and placed himself conspicuously 
before our Lord, though he would not venture to 
solicit a cure on the Sabbath-day. Or, he might 
have been maliciously brought in with the deli- 
berate intention of ensnaring Jesus. 



( 2 ) The chief rooms.] At the time our trans- 
lation of the Bible was made, "room" and 
"place" were synonymous terms. Thus, we 
find it said in Cavendish's Life of Wolsey, that 
the Cardinal " caused the guests to sit still, and 
kepe their romes." — The chief places, so much 
coveted by the Pharisees (see also Matt, xxiii. 
G), were at the upper of three tables, arranged in 
the form of the Greek letter 17. Jewish meals 
were commonly more sumptuous on the Sabbath. 



HUMILITY AND BENEVOLENCE ENJOINED. 229 

thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man 
thy place ; and thou, to avoid any further disgrace, begin 

with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou c Whatsoever things 

art bidden, go and sit down first in the lowest room; areof good report ; if there 

70 ill an y virtue ' and lf there 

that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto he any praise, think of 

thee, Friend, go up higher : then, having assumed nothing theMJ thinss ' Phl1 ' 1V ' 8 " 

to thyself, thou shalt have worship (honour) in the br " lg ^ ™ m ' s ^ sh b ^ 

presence of them that sit at meat with thee. c For this ] ™ no ™ sha11 lW ld the 

_ . humble m spirit. Prov. 

will ever be found true: — Whosoever exalteth himself xxix.23. 

shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be bufgiVet^grace^nto 0 ^ 

exalted. d. humble. James iv. 6. 

Then said He also to him that bade Him, When thou 
makest a dinner or a supper, do it not from the expectation 
of being invited by others in return : therefore call not thy 
friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy 
rich neighbours 6 only — lest they also bid thee again, and e He that giveth to the 

, i.T t» , l l i " c h> shall surely come to 

so a recompense be made tnee. xsut when thou makest want. Prov. xxii. 16. 

a feast, consider the more pressing call of charity, as well as 

the duty of hospitality: call also the poor, (B ) the maimed 

(the disabled and helpless), the lame, the blind, — that they 

may partake of what is left, or have portions sent unto them 

at home? And, doing this, thou shalt be blessed ; for they f Eat the fat, and drink 

indeed cannot recompense thee; but there is One above who tlonHmto them to? whom 

careth for them, for thou shalt be recompensed at the ".^y P re P ared - N eh. 

Resurrection of the just. 

And when one of them that sat at meat with Him 
neard these things, he said unto Him, Blessed is he that 
shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!s (4 ) Then said g Blessed are they which 

H, -i • 7 /> 7,7. 7 7 n , 7 are called to the marriage 

e unto him, by way oj parable — to show how jeiv there ivere SU p P er ot the Lamb. Rev. 

who really desired that blessing, and themselves, the favoured X1X " 9 ° 

people, least of all: — A certain man made a great supper 

and bade many guests ; and sent his servant at supper- h Ho ' everv one that 

. . r n i- thirsteth, come ye to the 

time to say to them that were bidden, Lome, for all things waters, and he that hath 
are now ready. h And they all with one consent (as ifivith ZtZTjeaZI!;^ 
one purpose, and with the same unqracious determination) wine and , ™H k with out 

, , mi r> • i money and without price. 

began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have isa. iv. 1. 



( 3 ) Call the poor, |-c.] Our Lord takes 
occasion to reprove the Pharisaical custom of 
giving entertainments out of a spirit of worldli- 
ness and ostentation. — The precept in this place 
is best understood by us with limitation, and 
according to the well-known Hebrew idiom. 
Social hospitality among friends is plainly sanc- 
tioned in other parts of Scripture ; but still so 
much cannot innocently be expended in this 
manner, as would deprive us of the means of 
relieving cases of distress. It is not required, in 
the present state of society, that the poor should 
actually be guests at the tables of the rich ; but 
the latter can always observe the spirit of this 
precept, by doing on their behalf what is equiva- 
lent in respect of charge, and by sending por- 
tions to them for whom nothing is prepared at 
1 ome, 



( 4 ) Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the 
kingdom of God.J It is difficult to decide whe- 
ther this was spiritually or carnally spoken, and 
our Lord's Parable would apply on either suppo- 
sition. The speaker might be one of the 
better-disposed Pharisees, and have intended to 
follow up our Lord's comment on Christian en- 
tertainments by an allusion to spiritual nourish- 
ment in the Kingdom of Glory. The Jews had 
been accustomed to this language, which is not 
unfrequent in Prophecy : thus Jeremiah speaks 
of "eating God's words" (Jer. xv. 16); and 
Ezekiel is commanded to eat the roll of the book 
given to him (Ezek. iii. ], 2). On the other 
hand, as most of the Jews at that time had 
carnal notions of the Messiah's reign on earth, 
the speaker might be only anticipating its plea- 
sures and enjoyments. 



230 



THE PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE SUPPER. 



bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see 

1 Aud th that Avhicll tl fe11 it; (5) I pray thee have me excused 1 (make my excuse to 
which, *hen S 'they hate your lord). And another said, I have bought five yoke of 
oxen, and I go to prove (to examine and try) them; I pray 
riches and pleasures of thee have me excused. And another said, I have married 

this life, and himg no y _ 

fruit to perfection. Luke a wife, and therefore I cannot come. k — So that servant 
came and shewed his lord these things. Then the master 

ried, cat^for^eth^ of tne nouse > bein g an g rv at such a return for his kindness, 
that are of the world, how said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and 

he may please his wife. „ .. . - , , . . . 

l Cor. vii. 33. lanes or the city, and bring m hither the poor, and the 

maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant 
said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet 
there is room for more guests. And the lord said unto 
the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges ( by- 
.' m paths or enclosures), and whatever wretched objects you may 

speech, she caused him to find, compel 1 (earnestly persuade) them to come in, (6) that 

^'SS-S-a m y house ma y be filled - m For 1 sa >' unt0 y ou > that ' 

him,, saying, Ahide with desirous as they may now be of a reception, none of those 

in g , and the day is far men, which were bidden and refused to come, shall taste of 

spent. Luke xxiv. 29. my S upper. n (7) — In like manner God first invites His chosen 

him t^S°SrwateTof life P e0 P^ e io ^ w spiritual feast which He has provided; and 

freely. Rev. xxii. 17. they refuse to hear and neglect the gracious summons : 

n Therefore I sav unto but soon the outcast and despised Gentiles shall be pressed 

shaii^ 6 tXI? from f fan, to come in, who will gladly welcome the Gospel-invitation, 

and given to a nation an ^ sna U a f l as f s J iare fa fj ie blessings of the Messiah's 
bringing torth the fruits ** " 

thereof. Matt. xxi. 43. kingdom in heaven. 



( 5 ) I ham bought a piece of ground, S[c.~\ It 
may be thought that a man would not ordinarily 
buy land or oxen without first seeing them ; and 
an idiom in the Original will allow of the Aorist 
being taken in the present sense, — giving the 
sense, " I have been purchasing," i. e., " been 
in treaty for." But allowing the common trans- 
lation to stand, there is a beauty in supposing 
that these bargains were already made, and that 
therefore there was no such urgency in attending 
further to matters of business on the evening of 
the entertainment. 

( 6 ) Compel them to come in. ] Anything like a 
compulsory meaning here would clearly be con- 
trary to the spirit of the Gospel; and it is evi- 
dent, from the use of the original expression by 
the New Testament writers, that earnest entreaty 
alone is meant — which, indeed, was all that one 
servant could use towards a multitude of beggars. 



The best Attic writers have used the word in the 
same sense. So among the Latins, Horace says 
(1 Ep. ix. 2) "Prece cogit and it is frequent 
with the early Christian writers : " Gentiles co- 
guntur ut credant" observes Cyprian (Lib. de 
Mortalitate). 

( 7 ) None of those men which were bidden shall 
taste of my Supper.] From this w r e must con- 
clude that Grace despised is Grace forfeited. 
Worldly business cannot be pleaded any more 
than pleasure for neglecting the Gospel invita- 
tion. However lawful our occupations may be 
in themselves, they must not be pursued at im- 
proper seasons ; and probably an undue attach- 
ment to things in themselves innocent, and 
even requiring attention, will be found at last, 
more than positive sin, to have been the ruin of 
the great majority of mankind. 



231 



SECTION LXXXVII. 
Jesus shows what is needful to become His disciple. 
Luke xiv. 25 — 35. 



AND there went great multitudes with Him — some of 
them looking for the temporal advantages of His king- 
dom, and others thinking it an easy discipleship to follow 
Him about from place to place. And. that they might no 
longer thus deceive themselves. He turned and said unto 
them, If any man come to Me, and in comparison with 
Me hate not (have not less affection for) his father and 
mother/ 1 ) and wife and children, and brethren and sisters, 
yea, and his own life [himself) also, he cannot effectually 
be My disciple. a And whosoever doth not bear his cross 
and come after Me. — ready and witling to suffer any hard- 
ship or persecution for My sake, and shewing obedience to 
Me in all things, — cannot be My discipie. b 

Ere you enter upon the Christian life, use that delibera- 
tion which you would employ in any matter of ordinary im- 
portance: For which of you, intending to build a tower (a 
mansion for his private use, or any other considerable build- 
ing), sitteth not down deliberately first, and counteth the 
cost (calculateth the expense), whether he have means suffi- 
cient to finish it ? c Lest haply after he hath laid the foun- 
dation of the building, and is not able to finish it, all that 
pass by and behold it, begin to mock (deride) him, saying, 
This foolish man began to build, and was not able to finish. 
So ought you seriously to reflect what it will cost you to 
become Christians, and not imagine that you can build for 
yourselves an eternal habitation in the heavens, without an 
entireness of purpose and that perseverance which will endure 
unto the end. — Or again, What king going to make war 
against another king/ 2) sitteth not down first, and con- 
sulteth d whether he can compensate for his want of numbers 
by other advantages of skill or position — ivhether he be able 
with ten thousand to meet (to contend successfully with) 
him that cometh against him with twenty thousand ? 



8 If thy br oilier, the 
son of tb.v mother, or thy 
sou. or thy daughter, or 
the wife of thy bosom, or 
thy friend which is as thine 
own soul, entice thee se. 
cretly, saying, Let us go 

and serve other gods 

thou shalt not consent 
unto him, neither hearken 
unto him ; neither shall 
thine eye pity him, neither 
shalt thou spare, neither 
shalt thou conceal him. 
Dent. xiii. 6, 8. 

He that loveth father 
or mother more than Me, 
is not worthy of Me ; and 
he that loveth son or 
daughter more than Me, 
is not worthv of Me. 
Matt. x. 37. 

And they overcame him 
(Satan) by the blood of 
the Lamb, and by the 
word of their testimony; 
and they loved not their 
lives unto the death. Rev. 
xii. 11. 

Neither count I my life 
dear unto myself, so that 
I might finish my course 
with joy. Acts xx. 24. 

b We must through 
much tribulation enter in- 
to the Kingdom of God. 
Acts. xiv. 22. 

All that will live godly 
in Christ Jesus shall suffer 
persecution. 2 Tim. hi. 12. 

c Prepare thy work 
without, and after- 
wards build thine house. 
Prov. xxiv. 27. 

d Every purpose is esta- 
blished by counsel ; and 
with good advice 
war. Prov. xx. 18. 



(!) Hate not his father and mother, §c.~\ It is 
the height of infidel perverseness to interpret these 
words literally and strictly, when we find the direc- 
tion given so plain, in a parallel passage at St. 
Matthew x. 37 (see Section LIX., Note 13), that 
we are to interpret them comparatively. In this, as 
in several other places, hatred signifies only an 
inferior degree of love. It is clearly impious, 
and contrary to the fifth Commandment, to hate 
father or mother; and, as the Apostle says 
(Eph. v. 29), we cannot hate ourselves. See 
Gen. xxix. 31, where Leah's being hated, was 
only being loved less than Rachel : also Deut. 



xxi. 15, to the same purpose ; and Rom. ix. 13, 
where Esau is hated of God in comparison with 
Jacob. — Our Lord might be here ahuding to that 
public renunciation which proselytes to Judaism 
were required to make of all their Gentile re- 
lations. 

(' 2 ) What king going to make tear, <|-c.] Similar 
maxims of prudence frequently occur in the 
Classic writers. So Sallust, "Prrusquam in- 
cipias, consulto ; et postquam consulueris, ma- 
ture facto opus est." And Livy, " Cum tuas 
vires, turn vim fortunae martemque belli com- 
munem, propone animo," 



232 



WHAT IS NEEDFUL TO BECOME A CHRISTIAN. 



« it remaineth that both Or else, if he find that he is not able, while the other 

they that have wives he as . . rr i i ±1 l ,i 1 

though they had none,.. J s yet a great way oft, he 'prudently sendeth an ambassage 

though th ti^y tha posse y ssed ( an emoass V) an d desireth conditions, however unfavour- 

not, and they that use this able they may be, of peace. So likewise, whosoever he 

for the fashion of this be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath e ( s > {who is 

Cor ld vii P 1 S 9-3r ay ' 1 not ™M™g, if it be needful, to renounce all that is thought 

1 have suffered the loss valuable in this life), he cannot be My disciple. 

of all things, and do count o i • i j.j • 1 • p 1 1 t 

them but dung, that I oalt is a good thing ; but if the salt have lost his sa- 

may win Christ. Phil. vour (4) (Us sa Uness), wherewith shall it be seasoned again? 1 

f Salt is ^ood • but if ^* * s > ^en, neither fit manure for the land, nor yet for the 

the salt have lost his salt- dunghill to be mixed with other manure ; but men cast it 

hgss wliGrGwitli will » 

season it? Have salt in out [throw it away) as utterly useless, — So are true Chris- 
InT^no^riZk tians the salt °f the earth ;S and as salt is good, so is the 
ix - 50 - Gospel of great price : but if the Christian professor utterly 

e Ye are the salt of the forfeit his principles, how can he be again renewed in the 
spirit of his mind? h he can no more benefit himself nor 
those^who IT* en- others.— He that hath ears to hear this, which highly con- 
lightened and have tasted cerns the welfare of his immortal souL let him attentively 

ot the Heavenly Gift „ 

if they shall fall away, hear, and learn to profit thereby, 

to renew them again unto 

repentance. Heb. vi. 4, 6. — If we sin wilfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the Truth, there 
remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment. Heb. x. 26, 27. 



SECTION LXXXVII1. 

The Pharisees are rebuked in the Parables of the Lost Sheep, 
the Lost Piece of Money, and the Prodigal Son. 

Luke xv. 1 — 32. 



* And it came to pass, 
as Jesus sat at meat in the 
house, behold many pub- 
licans and sinners came 
and sat down with Him 
and His disciples. And 
when the Pharisees saw it, 
they said unto His disci- 
ples, Why eateth your 
Master with publicans and 
sinners? Matt. ix. 10, 
11. 



THEN drew near unto Him all the publicans and sin- 
ners (,) of the neighbourhood in which He had lately 
dined with the Pharisee, for to hear Him. And the Pha- 
risees and Scribes, finding Him thus engaged, murmured 
among themselves, sayings This man receiveth sinners with 
cordiality, and even eateth with them. a 

And, taking the opportunity to rebuke their want of 
charity towards such outcast and ignorant creatures, whom 



( 3 ) Forsaketh not all that he hath.] It would be 
absurd to press this precept beyond a readiness to 
give up what is most dear to us, in obedience to the 
Saviour's superior claims upon our love. A man 
may be a sincere Christian, without either parting 
with his worldly goods, or depriving himself of 
those ^highest earthly gratifications which arise 
from domestic ties. The Apostles are said to have 
forsaken all, yet they still retained the property of 
their goods. Express mention is made of John's 
house, into which Mary was received after the 
Crucifixion ; also of Peter's, where our Lord so 
often lodged, and this latter Apostle * paid taxes 
as an inhabitant of Capernaum. They were 
ready at any moment to quit their families and 
occupations when their Master summoned them 
to preach the Gospel ; but fe^eir trade of fishing 



was continued, together with the use of their 
own boats and nets, even after their Lord's 
resurrection. 

( 4 ) If the salt have lost his savour."] See Sec- 
tion XLL, Note 6. 

(!) Publicans and sinners.] The "sinners," 
who were assembled on this occasion with the 
Roman tax-gatherers, would be chiefly gross 
sinners of the lower class; but there might be 
some Gentiles of the neighbourhood present. 
The language employed does not exclude them ; 
and St. Matthew says (xviii. 17), " If he neglect 
to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an 
heathen man, and a publican." So also St. Paul 
(Gal. ii. 15), " We who are Jews by nature, and 
not sinners of the Gentiles" 



THE JOY IN HEAVEN OVER A REPENTANT SINNER. 



233 



He never received as His associates, but only with a view to 
their amendment, He spake this Parable, — the same which 
He had before delivered privately to His Apostles, — saying 
unto them : — What man of you having a flock of an hun- 
dred sheep,, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the 
ninety and nine to feed in their pastures in the wilderness, 
and go after that which is lost, until he find it ? And 
when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, 
rejoicing. And when he cometh home, not able to contain 
the good news he calleth together his friends and neigh- 
bours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have 
found my sheep which was lost: "He rejoiceth more of 
that sheep than of the ninety and nine which went not 
astray." This is a representation of the joy of God at the 
recovery of a lost soul ^ for He willeth not the death of a b i ^ gone ^ 
single sinner: 0 I say unto you that, likewise, more joy j 7 g 0St shee P- Ps - cxix - 
shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, (2) than ^ 

, , . , , c Have I anv pleasure 

over ninety and nine just persons which need no repen- at all that the wicked 
tance d (who require no entire change or conversion from a £r? d Godt ? and^ot that 
life of sin unto holiness). I am come u to seek and to save he should return from his 

7 7-7 7 M- J 7777- 77 /» WSTS tVe? Ez6,£ - 

that which was lost ; and ivhy should 1 not do that for xviii. 23. 

God's nobler creatures, "the true sheep of His pasture" FaSerwMcMs^Hea^ 

which you would do for your dumb flocks ? that ° 1 ne ° f tb ? se ,5 ttle 

. J ■ J ... ones should pensh. Matt. 

Either — to represent the Divine Mercy by another simili- xviii. 14. 
tude — What poor woman having ten pieces of silver (ten a 1 came not to call the 
drachmas), if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, ^SSJTiS^tx 
and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it ? 
And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends (her 
female acquaintance, Gr.) and her neighbours together, 
saying, Rejoice "with me, for I have found the piece which 
I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, There is joy in the 
presence of the angels of God (3) over one sinner that 
repenteth. 

And He said moreover — as a yet further illustration, 
and to encourage every sincere penitent : — A certain man had 
two sons : And the younger of them, becoming impatient of 
the restraints of home, said to his father, Father, give me 



( 2 ) More joy shall be in heaven over one casious of moving them : the sudden recovery of 
sinner, <|-c.] Various explanations have been \ what has been in great danger always affords 
given of this passage. The "one sinner" maybe ; more intense joy than the quiet possession of 
intended to represent the Gentile world: the reco- : that which is safe. 

very of the heathen to the fold would, as they were ! ( 3 ) There is joy in the presence of the angels 
more numerous, occasion greater joy ; and it is i of God, <%c] This may be simply understood of 
clear that, in some of our Lord's other parables, j the joy of our Heavenly Father exhibited before the 
the Gentiles, as well as sinners at large, are re- ! angels, as standing continually in His presence. 
presented, not by the many, but as one man. — The Romanists infer from the passage, that 
Again, it has been ingeniously suggested that as j angels, and even departed saints, have a know- 



a hundred are more than ninety and nine, the 
security of the whole would naturally occasion 
greater joy than if the number was deficient.— 
But the whole passage, being spoken of God 
after the manner of men, may be best understood 
after the manner of men — that is, suitably to 
human passions and affections and the usual oc- 



ledge of the heart, and can distinguish when 
true repentance is wrought there. The utmost 
inference from the text is, that the Holy angels 
rejoice at the fact of the conversion of a sinner ; 
and to this interpretation there can be no ob- 
jection, as they might know it by immediate 
revelation. 



234 THE PRODIGAL SON. 

the portion of goods that lawfully falleth to me. (4) And, 
accordingly, he divided unto them his living (his pro- 
perty) in due proportions. And, not many days after, 
the younger son gathered all together {converted all 
he had into money), and took his journey into a far 
country ; and there, among heathen and profligate asso- 
ciates, he wasted his substance with riotous living. And 
when he had spent all, there arose a mighty (severe) 
famine in that land., and he began to be in want. And 
he went and joined (engaged) himself as a servant to a 
citizen of that country ; and he sent him into his fields to 
feed swine — an occupation which of all others was reckoned 
the lowest and most degrading to a Jew. But his wages 
could not supply him in a time of scarcity with a sufficiency 
even of the commonest kind of human food, and he would 
fain (if he could have reconciled himself to such necessity) 
have filled his belly with the husks from the Carob tree 
that the swine did eat : and no man gave so much as a 

.1 said, I will confess mors el offood unto him. 
my transgressions unto the ^nd w h en h e came to himself and reflected on the 

Lord. Ps. xxxn. o. 

Against Thee only have miserable condition to which he had been brought, he bitterly 

I sinned, and done this ± j /• 7 ■ n 77 7 • i tt i • l jl 

evil in Thy sight. Ps. repented of his jolly, and said, How many hired servants 

II 4 - of my fathers have bread enough and to spare, and I, his 
» The promise g^unto son, am ready to perish with hunger ! / am resolved what 

and^u&at'are^fer^ff.' to do : I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto 
A< Now in Christ Jesus him, Father, I have sinned against the God q/* heaven/ and 
ye who sometimes were before thee mil best of earthly friends, and am no more 

far off, are made nigh hy 9 jf 9 J > 

the blood of Christ. Eph. worthy to be called thy son: make me (treat me) hence- 
18, forth as one of thy hired servants. 

g None of his sins that j^fi arose, and came (was coming) to his father. 

he hath committed shall 7 v 

be mentioned unto him. But when he was yet a great way off f (5) from the house — 

He retaineth not His shame keeping him still at a distance — his father saw him, 

HrdehghteT^'n mercy^ anc * na( l compassion on him,s and immediately ran, and, 

He will turn again; He no t able at first to speak, fell on his neck and kissed him as 

will have compassion upon , /•■»•/• • a i i • i • 

us; He will subdue our the token of his forgiveness. And the son said unto him, 
cast *au their^ins'^nto The — beginning his confession as he had purposed, — Father, I 
vii 18 °19 ^ Sea ' Mk ' ^ ave smne d against Heaven and in thy sight, and am no 



( 4 ) Tfie portion of goods that falleth to me.'] 
By the Jewish, as well as by the Roman law, 
all children shared alike, with the exception of 
the eldest, who received double (Deut. xxi. 17). 
An indulgent parent frequently made a division 
in his lifetime, allotting a portion to a son on his 
coming of age. 

( 5 ) When he was pet a great way off, The 
mercy of our Heavenly Father, which pervades 
the whole of this beautiful and exquisitely-tender 
parable, is strikingly displayed at this portion of it. 
There is no doubt that the whole is applicable to 
the case of the Jew and the Gentile. The former 
had been " ever with God" by the right of pri- 
mogeniture ; the latter had lived " afar off," in 
spiritual fornication, without the knowledge of 



God, and " given over unto all uncleanness" 
(Eph. iv. 17— 19). Yet the Divine promise was 
equally to the Gentiles, and they experienced at 
length that greatest of all famines, a craving for 
God's Word (see Amos viii. 11). The Almighty 
is ready to receive every penitent, even prevent- 
ing him with His grace, if He sees but a wil- 
lingness to 'return to Him. — Little inferior is the 
mercy which the parable afterwards sets forth in 
the treatment of the elder son (as representing 
the Jew), who boasted that he had served God 
many years, nor had ever transgressed His com- 
mandment. Notwithstanding his sullen cold- 
ness and perverseness, his father condescends to 
come out, and entreats him to do that which is 
right. 



THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL. 



235 



more worthy to be called thy son. But before he could h Now Joshua was cio- 

UiUi ^ »r v/i v j . , -, • -n • n thed with filthy garments, 

add the rest, the father said to his servants, Bring forth the and stood before the angel, 
best robe and put it on him in place of these rags} 1 and s ^ e h LtT thS? tot 
put a ring on his hand 1 and shoes on his feet, and bring ^^1%^ 
hither the fatted calf, and kill it ; and let us eat and be ments from him. And 

, 1Ir , . ,. UDto him he said, Behold 

merry : for tms mv son was as it were dead/ and is alive 1 have caused thins ini- 
again ;* he was lost, and is found.-And they of the house- t^^Z^i 
hold began to be merry [cheerful and happy) together on this change of raiment. z ec h. 
joyful occasion. 

-*t 1. 1, . 7 • .t_ r i 1 7 .7 1 And Pharaoh took off 

Now his elder son was at work m the neld when the his ring from his hand, 
brother arrived; and as he now came and drew nigh to T^Ge^.^ 8 
the house, he heard music and dancing. m And, much k Let ^ dead bujy 
surprised at these unaccustomed somids, he called one of the their dead. Matt. viii. 
servants, and asked what these things meant, and what was "she that liveth in P iea- 
the cause of this sudden festivity. And he said unto him, v^f she 

Thv brother is come home ; and thy father hath killed the . _. 

J . . 1 Yield yourselves unto 

fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. God, as those that are alive 

» , , ; ,,. j? X • 7 .1 from the dead. Rom. yi. 

And he was angry at this generous reception of his brother, 13. 

and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and en- j ou ^ath He quickened 

o ^ _ y who were dead m trespas- 

treated him. And he, answering, said to his father, Lo, ses and sins. Eph. ii. 1. 
these many years do I continue to serve thee, neither trans- m Then they said, Be- 
gressed I at any time thy commandment; 1 ^ 6 ) and yet thou ^^^tf^.^S 
never gavest me so much as a kid that I might make see > and behold if the 

. _ „ . , , . , . , daughters of Shiloh come 

merry with my friends : but as soon as this thy son was out to dance in dances, 
come, which hath to the utmost of his power devoured thy Judg ' sxl ' l9 ' 2L 
living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. w ^tXt 
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me — self, come not near to me, 

.. , 7 n no 7 7- for I am holier than thou. 

daily receiving some token of my ajfection and needing no i sa . i X v. 2, 5. 
such particular demonstration of it; and, as thou well pr ^ p ^ se w Jth 0d h^ 
knowest, all that I have is to be thine. It was but meet and ^^ od > I t thai J b r Thee 
right that we should make merry and be glad ; for this are, extortioners, unjust, 
thy brother ^ was dead and is alive again; and was lost ^1™' LulTxvSS 

and is found. e ransomed of the 

Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joys upon their heads; they shall obtain ^oy 
and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isa. xxxv. 10. 



The best robe.} The robe, ring, and shoes 
could not be worn by a servant. Thus the son 
is shown to be reinstated — and completely so, 
for the best robe is ordered, — the Article in the 
Greek being emphatic. 

( 6 ) Neither transgressed I at any time thy com- 
mandment.} This phrase alone would fix the 
character of the elder brother upon the hypocri- 
tical and supercilious Pharisee. Yet the Parable 
has lost none of its force among the changes that 
more than eighteen centuries have produced ; for 
under every modification of society we shall find 
the two characters here delineated, — the return- 
ing prodigal, and the self-righteous formalist 
who repines at the forgiveness of the other. 

( 7 ) This thy brother.} The elder son had 
angrily said, " This thy son." The father here 
makes an appeal to natural affection, changing 
the phrase to "This thy brother." It may be 
added that the whole Parable is remarkably 



illustrative of St. Luke's peculiar beauty and 
greater purity of style. Many of this Evange- 
list's words and expressions are exactly parallel 
to those which are to be found in the best classic 
writers. Where he speaks of the "mighty 
famine," the same Greek is employed as occurs 
in Thucydides III. 85 (Xi/jlos laxvpos eyevero) : 
and the striking phrase, " when he came to him- 
self" (i.e. returned to his right mind again), 
corresponds with one in Lucretius IV. 995: — 
"Donee discussis redeant erroribus in se." 
The fact of how degrading an occupation that of 
a swineherd was generally accounted in ancient 
times is confirmed by Herodotus (Euterpe, 47); 
who states, that in Egypt (where in all pro- 
bability the Prodigal was, for that was reckoned 
'a far country' by the Jews) swineherds were 
prohibited from marrying out of their vocation, 
and were rigidly excluded from the places of 
public worship. 



236 



SECTION LXXXIX. 

The Parable of The Unjust Steward is delivered as a lesson 
of prudence; and that of The Rich Man and the beggar 
Lazarus as a warning against selfishness. 

Luke xvi. 1 — 31. 

AND He said also unto His disciples and others who 
were present .-—There was a certain rich man, which 
had a confidential steward; and the same was accused unto 
him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, 
and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee ? give 
an account of thy stewardship : for, unless it prove satis- 
» it is required in stew- factory, thou mayest be no longer my steward. 51 

ards that a man be found m , . , . p 7 . , 7 

faithful, l Cor. iv. 2. 1 hen the steward, conscious of his guilt, said withm 

himself, What shall I now do to get a living ? for my lord 
taketh (is about to take) away from me the stewardship : I 
cannot dig (i~ have not been brought up to a life of labour, 
and have not the strength to bear it) ; to beg I am ashamed. 
—And at length, after reflecting on his position, he said, I 
am resolved what to do : / will secure the good will of my 
lord's tenants, by serving their interests jointly with my 
own; that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may 
receive me into their houses. 

So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, 
and said unto the first, How much rent owest thou to my 
lord? And he said, An hundred measures (a thousand 
gallons) of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill (1 > 
(lease or contract), and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 
Then said he to another, And how T much owest thou ? And 
he said, An hundred measures (eight hundred bushels) of 
wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write 
fourscore. And in like manner said he to all the rest. 

And the lord (his master) commended the dexterous policy 
of the unjust steward, (2) because he had done so wisely for 
himself: and not without reason; for the children of this world 
are, in their dealings with the men of their generation, wiser 
(more prudent) in providing for this life, than the children of 



( J ) Take thy bill.] The tenants bound them- 
selves, by an engagement in writing, to pay as 
rent a certain portion of the produce to the pro- 
prietor. These contracts would be countersigned 
by the Steward, and the alteration of them 
would be a lasting advantage to the tenants, 
placing them under the greatest obligations to 
him ; while he provided against discovery by 
making them accomplices in the fraud. 

( 2 ) The lord commended the unjust Steward. - ] 
The Steward's master, here plainly intended, 
must, not be confounded with the Lord of all. 



The master could not help admiring his servant's 
cleverness, though he suffered so much from his 
dishonesty. A similar passage occurs in one of 
the plays of Terence (Heauton. iii. 2, 26). The 
object which the Steward had in view, was his 
maintenance ; he employed iniquitous means, 
but they answered his purpose ; and he is brought 
forward to show how much greater is the saga- 
city and perseverance of worldly men, than of 
professors of religion, in the pursuit of their 
respective aims. 



WE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON. 237 

light b are in providing for eternity. And I say unto you, b Believe in the Light, 

My followers, learn a lesson of prudence from the worldly- d ren of Light. 6 johnxiL 

minded: As the steward made friends to himself, so do 36- 

you, by acts of charity, make to yourselves friends 0 of the c Cast thy bread upon 

mammon of unrighteousness (of riches, which are so 

deceitful and transitory in themselves, as well as often Eccies. xi. 1. 

acquired and employed wrongfully) ; that, when ye fail [when 

ye die) and your stewardship expires with you, they may 

receive you {may be a means of your being received ) into d Give to the poor, and 

everlasting habitations. d Let no man, however low his t^^veh. MaLxix. S 2L 

condition in the world, think himself unconcerned in this Giv f a ! ms: P rovi(le 

° . # yourselves bags that wax 

parable : he that is faithful in that thrust which is least, is not? old,— a treasure in the 
faithful also in much ; e and he that is unjust in the least, Lifke 5i. 3? &ie " 0t 
is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been re ^f^Zl,^ 
faithful stewards in dispensing the unrighteous mammon, to communicate ; laying 

., ..... . -n* i ■># ' up in store for themselves 

who will commit to vour trust the I rue iiicnes? 1 you can ag ood foundation against 
scarcely expect that" a just and perfect God will do so. S^tylTof elemai 
And if ye have not been faithful in that, which at your lite - 1 Tim - vi - 18 > 19 - 
decease is to be another man's, and is given to you in e Weil done, thou good 

, , j i si j i in* j. i • i ari & faithful servant, thou 

trust only by God, who shall give you that which is your hast been faithful over a 



own, — that blessed inheritance which would be wholly and ! ew tlnn p' 1 wlU 

' * thee ruler over many 

for ever yours ? You ivill invariably find that an affection things. Matt. xxv. 21. 
for the world obstructs the love of God : I have said before, f Riches and honour are 
and declare it to you again, That no man can serve two Hches^and nghteoumess! 
masters; for either he will hate (have a much diminished Prov viii - 18 - 
affection for) the one, and love the other ; or else at least s Choose you this day 
he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot forTe^and^myh^'uVe we 
at the same time serve God and mammon, s ( 3 ) wil1 s f/ e aie Lo ^- Josh. 

xxiv. 15. 

And the Pharisees also, who were extremely covetous, 
and whose condemnation was particularly implied in the pa- 
rable just delivered.heaxd all these things; and they derided h ceivefo^ofthe 1 tSnVof 
(sneered at) Him and His doctrine — for they wished to the spirit of God, for they 

x ' m J 0 are foolishness unto him, 

represent Him as a visionary, or as one who only despised 1 Cor, ii. u. 

the enjoyments of life because they seemed beyond his * Woe unto you, Scribes 

reach an< * P narisees > hypocrites, 

* for ye are like unto whited 

And He said unto them, Ye are exactly they which sepulchres, which indeed 

. . .. . . appear beautiful outward, 

lustily yourselves before men 1 — arrogating a sanctity not but are within full of dead 
really yours, and finding out plausible excuses for your leanness 1 . 68 jiatt a11 



xxm. 



irregular lives; but God knoweth the deceit of your 27 > 

hearts : k for that fair outside which is highly esteemed k L the Lord, search 

among men, — who are not able to look further, — is often but 

a cloak to vice, and is an abomination in the sight of an ^'wan l^t; Truman 

all-seeing God. 1 Under the New Dispensation which has looketh on ^ e outward 

" * appearance/but the Lord 

commenced, all such hypocrites shall be put to shame ; for looketh on the heart, 1 
it especially inculcates those higher precepts of charity at ^Everyone that is proud 
which ye mock: the Law and the Prophets were the only m heart is an abomination 

» / . 1 v to the Lord. Prov. xvi. 

Revelation until John, serving to foreshew what was to 0. 



( 3 ) Mammon.'] See Section XLL, Note 37. 



238 THE RICH MAN AND THE BEGGAR. 

come : but since that time the Kingdom of God is preached 
(is proclaimed), and every man of earnest and zealous 
m F r om the days of mind presseth (forceth as it were his way) into it/ 1 learn- 
&? n i^ e gdX tiSt of n wS in 9 to deny himself, and breaking through the engrossing love 
suffereth violence, and the 0 f temporal concerns. I do not say this to depreciate the 

violent take it by force. J r . 7 7 7 . . ■ - 7 n 

For all the prophets and First Revelation ; its moral obligation remains fixed for 
SL La Vattfi S i2, l? 1 ever : and it: is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, 
„ _ than for one tittle of the Law of God to fail. 51 / came 

n The grass withereth, J J 

the flower fadeth, but the to fulfil the Law ; to exalt and purify it, and to assert 
stand for ever! isa. xi. 8. its precepts in their utmost extent and spirituality. Thus. 
Tffl er heaven a aM t0 earS * 0 P 0 ^ 1° one °f V our besetting sins — I again declare, 
pass, one jot or one tittle notwithstanding all your traditions to the contrary, TJiat 

shall in no wise pass from * . 

the Law till all be fulfilled, whosoever puttetn away his wife, saving for the cause of 
M The V Woid of the Lord fornication, and marrieth another, committeth the sin of 
endureth for ever, l Pet. adultery; and whosoever marrieth her that is so put away 
from her husband, also committeth adultery. 

Having thus silenced the Pharisees, Jesus added another 
Parable, that He might dissuade His hearers the more from 
addicting themselves to carnal gratifications, and warn 
them of the danger of riches when not charitably employed: 
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple 
and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. And 
there was a certain beggar, named Lazarus, — -for he was a 
• From the sole of the P oor he ^P less creature,— which was laid at his gate, full of 
foot even unto the head sores, and in vain desiring to be fed with the crumbs which 

there is no soundness, but , . , , , , 

wounds and bruises and fell trom the rich man's table : moreover, so weak and 
no7w g X^dfneithCT ^pless ivas he, that the dogs, obtruding on his miseries, 
bound up, neither mollified came and licked his uncovered sores. 0 And it came to 

with ointment. Isa. i. 6. i 

pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels P 
isterirjg spSte,°sent forth m t° Abraham^s bosom <i (4) in the region of Paradise. The 
to minister for them who r * ^ man a i s0 died, and was buried with all the customary 

shall be heirs oi salvation i 7 & 

Heb. i. 14. pomp of great wealth. And in hell (Gehenna), being there 

q Many shall come from in torments, he lifted up his eyes, and seeth Abraham afar 
sha/S down with Abra- an d Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, 
ham, and Isaac, and Ja- father Abraham, ( 5 ) have mercy on me, and send Lazarus 

cob, m the kingdom ot / J 7 . . 

heaven. Matt. vih. ii. that he may dip though it be but the tip of his finger m 



( 4 ) Carried by the angels into Abraham's 
bosom.] This is said agreeably to the tradition 
of the Jews respecting good men. In parabolical 
narrations, provided the doctrines inculcated be 
strictly true, the terms in which they are ex- 
pressed, may be adapted to the prevailing notions 
of those to whom they are immediately addressed. 
— The general receptacle of departed spirits in 
the Intermediate State (a doctrine which the 
Church still, receives) was called Hades. This 
consisted of two regions. The one was appro- 
priated to good souls, and was called Paradise, 
where the beggar is now supposed to be : thither 
our Lord went after death (as declared in the 
Creed), admission being at the same time pro- 
mised to the penitent thief (Luke xxiii. 43) ; and 
thither also St. Paul was caught up in a vision. 
The other region was called Gehenna: there the 



rich man in the Parable is supposed to be. The 
expression, " Abraham's bosom " is a metaphor 
taken from the Oriental custom of reclining at 
meals, by which the head of the chief guest 
would be brought almost into the lap of him 
who sat at the head of the table (see John 
xxii. 23). 

( 5 ) Father Abraham.] John, the Baptist had 
already warned them against their vain notion 
that this patriarch could protect them from 
Divine judgments (Luke iii. 8). Our Lord now 
shews the same, as it were from the mouth 
of Abraham. — This is the only instance in Scrip- 
ture of anything that at all looks like a prayer to 
a glorified saint ; and even here the application 
was in vain ; for no relief was the saint capable 
of giving. 



THE SUFFICIENCY OF REVELATION TO CONVINCE THE IMPENITENT. 239 



water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this r Their worm shall not 

J die, neither shall their fire 

flame/ he quenched. Isa. lxvi. 

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy 24 - 
lifetime receivedst thy good things-/or such thou didst i/JtrW^S 
esteem them — and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now in riches, when i thought 

. , . r -. to know this it was too 

Divine Justice is satisfied ; he is comforted, and thou art tor- painful for me ; until I 
mented.s And beside all this, between us and those with S^he? e u SS I 
vou there is a great gulph^ fixed: so that they which end: surely Thou 

0 ° *■ didst set them m slippery 

would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they places; Thou vastest them 

i7 . i f n , i mi i • -i t down into destruction. 

pass to us that would come irom thence, lhen he saia, 1 How are ^ brought 
prav thee therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to int0 desolation, as in a 

r J 7 y moment ; they are utterly 

my fathers house ; for there I have five brethren, young consumed with terrors. 
and thoughtless as I have been, that he may testify unto Woe unto 'you that" are 
them of the happiness of the blessed and the misery of the y ^ tnsdaSm'tSe 
ivicked, lest they also come into this place of torment, vi. 24. 
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the * Moses of old time hath 

t-» i , • , ••7_ t 7 #7 /?jin every city them that 

Prophets, in ivnom as inspired teachers they profess to p rea ch him, being read in 
believe. The writings of those holy men are read every ^^^F^tT^ 1 ^' 
Sabbath in their synagogues?- and they are sufficient with u Abraham stood 
every well-disposed mind to teach these truths: let them hear up from before his dead, 
and be warned by them. And he said, Nay, father Abra- ston^^d^ojouSer! 
ham, / know that they will continue to slight the Written Gen - ™" 3 l 4 ' 

' u " And Jacob said unto 

Word as I did; but if one went unto them from the dead, Pharaoh, The days of the 
surely they will repent. And he said finally unto him : X^hunH ^S^rty 
A departed spirit could tell them no more than is revealed ^ e ^- Gen xivn. 9. 

r _ * 1 hough, alter my skm, 

already: if therefore they hear not Moses and the Pro- worms destroy this body; 

, v , , , 7 7 , yet in mv flesh shall I see 

phets, u no miracle, however great, would convince them ; God. job six. 26. 
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the -J^j^^^ 
dead to warn them not leave M 7 soul 111 nell > 

neither wilt Thou suffer 

Thine Holy One to see corruption. Ps. xvi. 9,10. — Many of them that sleep in the dust shall awake, some to 
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Dan. xii. 2. — There is one that accuseth you, even 
Moses, in whom ye trust. John v. 45. 



( 6 ) A great gulph.} The Jews believed that 
the two regions of Paradise and Gehenna were 
separated by an impassable chasm, yet so narrow 
that there was a prospect of the one from the other, 
and their respective inmates could converse to- 
gether. A remarkable affinity may be observed 
between this part of the narrative and the de- 
scriptions of the Grecian poets, who suppose the 
seats of the blessed to be separated from those of 
the damned by a great impassable river, from 
the opposite banks of which they could converse. 
This portion of the Parable also shews us that 
the condition of every man is unalterably fixed at 
death, and consequently that Purgatory is " a 
fond thing vainly invented." 



( 7 ) Neither will they be persuaded, S[c. ] Want 
of testimony is not the cause why men are 
kept at a distance from God. This rich man 
was probably a Sadducee, and, together with his 
brethren, had disbelieved the truth of a Resur- 
rection. His request that they might see and 
converse with a departed friend, is perfectly 
natural, and we might think it the best evidence 
that could be desired ; but He who knew what 
was in man, has declared its inefficacy to change 
the heart. The raising of Lazarus, and His own 
Resurrection (the greatest proof of all), had no 
effect on the collective body of the Jewish nation, 
and, with men so utterly sunk in sin, proved in- 
sufficient to awaken them to repentance. 



240 



SECTION XC. 

Christians are required to be inoffensive and forgiving. The 
power of Faith is exemplified, and the most perfect Obe- 
dience SHEWN TO BE NO MORE THAN OUR DUTY. 

Luke xvii. 1 — 10. 



THEN said He unto the disciples at large, as He had 
said before in private to the Twelve : — So great is the 
inherent wickedness and perverseness of man, that it is in 
the nature of things impossible but that offences [causes of 
offence) and stumbling blocks to the Gospel will come ; but 
» Woe unto the world, woe unto him through whom they come ! a It were better 
miS^neeS beSaufl£ces f° r ^ m the surest earthly destruction now befel him — 
come but wo to that man even t h at a m iH_ s t 0 ne were hanged about his neck and 

by whom the offence co- m ° 7 

meth. Matt, xviii. 7. he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of 
these little ones who believe in Me. 
t» Thou shalt not hate Take heed then to yourselves that ye be not guilty of 

thy brother _in thine heart; any mca s { nSt wnen offences are done to ami Olie of 

thou shalt in any wise re- ^ . . 

buke thy neighbour, and you, bear no malice in thy heart : if thy brother trespass 
Lev. S x£ r i7. n Up ° n Mm ' against thee, rebuke him ; b go and mildly tell him his fault 
a reproof entereth more oe t ween thee and him alone : and if after this he repent, 

into a wise man than an > # J r 3 

hundred stripes into a fool, freely forgive him. And if he trespass against thee again 

Prov. xvii. 10. , , , . . 

ana again — even seven times m a day — and seven times m 
Him T a h nds?d, e LorT e bow a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent of what I have 

oft shall my brother sin ^ Qne t ] 10u a§ Q fl m forgive him. c 

against me, and I forgive ° . ° 

him? till seven times? And the Apostles, — perceiving the excellence, yet at the 
my 1 not ai unto "hee/Sitii sam e time the difficulty of this precept, and conscious that a 
*enty timra seven" 1 Matt" ^ ve ty Faith was the only principle from which it could 
xviii. 21, 22. proceed, — said unto the Lord, Increase our Faith. d ^ And 

if an^in^liav^a^uarrei the Lord said, If ye had Faith as a grain of mustard- 
againstany. Col. hi. 13. seed ^ (3) ye might say unto this sycamine tree, ^ Be thou 
d Jesus the author and pl uc k e d up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea, 

usher of our faith. Heb. , . , 

and it should obey you : and so the smallest measure of 



fii 

xii. 2 



(!) That a mill-stone were hanged about his 
neck, $c.~\ See Section LXXV., Note 5. 

( 2 ) Lord, increase our Faith.} It appears from 
this request that the Apostles must then have 
had some notion, however indistinct, of their 
Master's Divinity ; for Faith is wrought in the 
heart, which God alone can immediately work 
upon. 

( 3 ) If V e had Faith as a grain of mustard-seed, 
^fc] A similar remark had before been made 
with immediate reference to that Faith in the 
power of working miracles, which was required 
from the Apostles (see Section LXXIII., Note 
2). Such extraordinary effects of Faith must of 
course be limited to the age and persons of the 
Apostles ; but the context of the passage before 
us, even if its primary meaning were the same, 
will justify a secondary application to believers 



in all ages. Miracles have ceased ; but under 
the ordinary administration of Divine Providence, 
and in the experience of every age, the wonderful 
efficacy of Faith has been shown, whenever, with 
an implicit reliance on the Divine blessing, a true 
believer has steadily pursued some great end, 
with no other view than the promotion of God's 
glory. As the minute grain of mustard-seed 
became the greatest of herbs, so Faith, if it have 
but in it the principle of vitality so that it may 
gradually increase, will eradicate vices the most 
confirmed, and can effect moral wonders. "All 
things are possible to him that believeth." 

( 4 ) Sycamine tree.} This is the Ficus Syca- 
morus of Linnaeus, the leaves of which tree 
resemble those of the mulberry, while its fruit is 
a species of fig. It is found in Egypt, as well as 
in Palestine. 



ALL ARE UNPROFITABLE SERVANTS. 241 

sincere and active faith shall enable you, and all succeeding If '^^^ ^J^'^j 
Christians, to overcome the greatest moral difficulties. , e things are possible to him 

-„ , 7 /. /-Y7 • # • 77 that believeth. Mark ix. 

But whatever degree of Christian excellence you may 2 3. 
be enabled to attain, never forget to show forth the * Can a man be profit- 
deepest humility, as in the sight of an all-perfect God: pkasure to the Al- 
itor reflect in what light you are accustomed to estimate ^^T^r h^t^lh^to 
your own dependents : Which of you, having a servant Him that thou makest thy 
ploughing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, perfect " Job XXJ ' 
when he is come from the field, Go, and sit down to meat, J>>£* Sft^rK 
(seat thyself at table) ? and will not rather say unto him, art my Lord ; my gcod- 

* i i -it /t-» n ness extendeth not to Thee. 

Make ready wherewith 1 may sup [Prepare something for p s . xri. 2. 

my supper), and gird thyself, and serve (wait upon) me, „ A i«£i£S£"C 

till I have eaten and drunken ; and afterward thou shalt lxi ^ ; 6 - 

il l 7 They are all gone out 

eat and drink ? Doth he thank that servant, however atten- of the way ; they are to. 
tive he may be to his orders, because he did the things that ab ^? r ther^^non^^Iat 
were commanded him ? I trow (I apprehend) not : he geth good^ no not one. 
claims his obedience as a matter of common duty. So like- g For by Grace ar3 Te 
wise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which s £ Ted > through faith, and 

* " ° that not ot yourselves ; it 

are commanded you by God, say, We are unprofitable is the Gift of God,— not of 

, * , 7 Tr . . 7 , 7 ., • works, lest any man should 

servants 1 ( •> — ever unworthy in His sight and meritorious in boast Eph. ii. 8, 9. 
nothing : we have only done that which was our duty to , Not b )' £™: ks of ™% hm 

if J j teousness that we have 

do; and our reward, should it please God to bestow any, done; but according to 

■ , j. j „ , , His mercy He saved lis. 

must be of grace, and not of debts Tit. hi. 5. 



SECTION XCI. 

The ten lepers are cleansed in Samaria. 
Luke xvii. 11—19. 

AND it came to pass, as He went on His way to Jeru- 
salem, that He passed through the midst [along the 
borders) of Samaria and Galilee. And as He entered into 
a certain village of Samaria, there met Him ten men that 
were lepers ; which stood afar off— /or the Law obliged them 
to do this when strangers approached, although they were 
allowed to consort together. 

And as these unfortunate men had heard of the Lord's 
miraculous powers, they lifted up their voices, and said, 



( 5 ) We are unprofitable servants.] To perceive 
the force of this illustration, we must remember 
that the servants of that day were bondmen : 
the whole of their time, strength, and posses- 
sions were the property of their masters ; they 
could have nothing, and could do nothing, to 
which their masters had not a claim. This 
figure, strong as it is, aptly illustrates the 
state of man, relatively with God. The Al- 
mighty has a property in us by the most in- 
disputable of all titles, that of Creation ; and, 
together with our being, He gave all that we 



have, — all our faculties of soul and body. We 
are bound, therefore, first and foremost, to serve 
Him ; but at the same time our services are 
manifestly unprofitable to Him, and cannot merit 
the smallest return. Thus the Romish doctrine 
of Supererogation, — or, in other words, the dogma 
that the merit of one man may make up for the 
I deficiencies of another — is utterly deprived of all 
I foundation. The "unprofitable servant" men- 
I tioned in the parable of the Talents, is there 
called also ivicked and slothful (Matt. xxv. 2G, 
I 30), and so in some measure we all are. 

R 



242 



THE GRATEFUL LEPER. 



» This shall be the law Jesus, Master, have mercy on us and heal us. And when 

of the leper, in the clay of y 1 _ T . J . »• /» 

Hs cleansing : he shall be -tie saw them, He said unto them, — intending first to prove 
^nSt^JS their fa/tthin His power to heal ,-Go shew yourselves, as the 
make an atonement for Law requires, to the priests a at Jerusalem ; procure their 

him, and he shall be clean. ' /» 7 7 7 

Lev. xiv. 2, 20. certificate of health, and you shall again be restored to 

sen^StoNa^mUTa^ ^ e society of your friends and the public worship of your 

ing, Go and wash in Jor- MciJier. 
dan seven times, and thy . 

flesh shall come again to And it came to pass, that, as they went (were going) in 
ci e e an. ai 2 Kings v. 10. 6 obedience to the command of Jesus, they were perfectly 
hi^ n (the Je ^er) ai Go U thy cleansed - b And one of them, when he 'saw (perceived) 
way, shew thyself to the that he was healed, turned back Returned), and with a 
tha?Vosts°^ e o r mman£d loud voice, in the hearing of all who followed Jesus, glori- 
Matt^r 7 ^ th6m ' fied GodC his Saokmrs and, convinced from the sensations he 
b Then went Naaman experienced that he might now lawfully approach, fell down 

fern'dmitffiaf on his face at His feet > S™ S Him thanks. And he was 
cording to^^e^ saying ^of a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not 

flesh came again like unto 

ten ( Were not all the ten) cleansed ? but where are the 

and fle he dtn!^ nine ? There are not found an V of them that returned to 
Kings v. 14. give glory to God, W save this stranger (this alien). And 

LoUfofTL?LIt h Hfted He said unt0 him > g° th y wa y : th y faith > more 

me up — o Lord my perfect than that of thy associates, hath made thee whole (2) 

God, I cried unto Thee, J , . J * 9 . . 

and Thou hast healed — restored in body, and also pardoned for thy sins. 

me. Ps. xxs. 1, 2. 



0) There are not found that returned to give 
glory to God.] The ingratitude of the nine will 
appear great to many, and yet the ungrateful lepers 
may rise up against such persons in judgment. It 
is at present common, on recovering from some 
dangerous disorder, merely to request the minis- 
ter to offer up thanks in the congregation : the 
cure of a Jewish leper could not be certified by 
the priest until after eight days' purification and 
service; and although this would cause some ex- 
pense, as well as personal service, we have no 
reason to suppose that the nine in the case before 
us neglected to perform it. It is evident that our 
Lord required something more, namely, the offer- 
ing of the heart. — As little as ever can be trusted 
to the effect of bodily illness : it often leads a 
man to sorrow, but sorrow is not penitence, and 
does not alone convert the soul. Of ten who rise 
from a bed of sickness, how often may we find nine 
who forget to " return and give glory to God !" 

( 2 ) Thy faith hath made thee whole.'] This 
Samaritan was saved both from his leprosy, and 
from that Moral Malady of which it was such a 



significant type ; for Sin renders the soul unfit 
for communion with its Creator, as a contagious 
disease unfits a man for intercourse with his fellow 
creatures. All these lepers evidently believed in 
the miraculous powers of Jesus, or they would 
not have gone to the priests before they were 
healed ; but the Samaritan alone believed in 
Him as a Saviour, and he alone received the 
spiritual blessing. — It may be here noticed that 
" Salvation " in Scripture is an ambiguous word, 
signifying u Deliverance;" and the context alone 
can shew when it refers to the body, and when to 
the soul — to this world or to the next. '* He was 
saved " (or, as it is sometimes rendered, " was 
made whole"), is the common phrase of the 
Gospels, for "he was cured.*' In the case of 
Bartimeus (Mark x. 52) the restoration of his 
sight is the salvation intended ; in the case of 
Zaccheus (Luke xix. 9) it is salvation from sin ; 
while in the miracle of the cure of the lame man 
in the Book of the Acts (iv. 10 — 12), the two 
ideas are blended together as they are in the 
ease of the leper before us. 



243 



SECTION XCII. 

Jesus rebukes the Sons of Zebedee for their intemperate zeal 
against the samaritans. 



A 



Luke ix. 51 — 56. 



ND it came to pass, when the time was nearly come 



that He should die and be received up a into Heaven. _ 8 — from the baptism o! 

A John, unto that same day 

He stedlastly set His iace [He jirmly purposed) to go to that He was taken up from 

Jerusalem, b the place appointed for His sufferings. And, ^GodwL' mLfestmthe 

knowing the prejudices of the people of Samaria, He sent ? e t s 0 h ' glm7 ' " \ ec ^ d jjjf 

messengers before His face, that they might procure the 16. 

necessary accommodation for the night ; and they went and *> And Hazae] set his 

entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for f^^^ eixm&mi 

Him. — And they {the Samaritans) did not receive Him 

with the welcome they had given on a former occasion, 

because His face was now as though He would go to {was 

turned towards) Jerusalem, (1) where the Passover was soon 

to be kept. 

And when His disciples, James and John, who were 
journeying with Him, saw this, they were indignant and ar ^f£a teaman of 
said, Lord, wilt Thou that we command {call for) fire to God > let fire come down 

j /» i , , • , 7 . from heaven and consume 

come down irom heaven and consume them, even as m this thee and thy fifty. And 
same country Elias did c upon those who came with hostile tl^Ltf^ltl^Zl 
intent against him? But He turned, and rebuked them, (2) him and his fifty. 2 Kings 
and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit (ivhat temper ' ' 
of mind) ye are called to be of : d persecution and intolerance n . orn above™ is ° first pure, 
are utterly opposed to My Gospel— the distinguishing mes- ^TTe^nSed'foJ 
sage of which is ei Peace on earth and good will towards all of mercy, james hi. 17. 
men for the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's e For God sent not His 
lives, but to save them*— to promote their truest and best 



the world, but that 

And they went thence to another village. 17. 



interests, temporal and eternal. the , world ^ on § h Him 

might be saved. John iii. 



(*) And they did not receive Him, because, <^c] 
The Samaritans, like the Jews, had their solemn 
feasts, and they seem to have thought that Jesus, 
whose fame had now spread abroad, was openly 
affronting and deciding against them by His 
attending the feast at Jerusalem. — Though their 
sectarian bigotry in many respects equalled that 
of the Jews, they were not always thus inhos- 
pitable. Our Lord met with a very different 
reception, when in the early period of His minis- 
try He discoursed with the woman at Jacob's 
well : then He was coming from Jerusalem, and 
accordingly He and His disciples were treated 
with civility and hospitality. Josephus has a 
passage in his Antiquities (xx. 6), which re- 
markably confirms the incident before us : — " It 
was the custom of the Galileans, when attend- 
ing the feasts at the holy city, to travel through 
Samaria : as they were in their journey, some 
inhabitants of the village called Ginea (which 
lies on the borders of Samaria and the great 



plain) falling upon them, killed a great many 
of them." 

( a ) But He turned and rebuked them.] Our 
Lord's rebuke of the fiery zeal of the two disci* 
pies, and His leaving the Samaritans without a 
remonstrance, is a decisive protest against pro- 
pagating the Truth by force and the suppression 
of heresy by the secular power. Gaiusayers 
are to be met, not with the legal severity of 
Elias, but with the meekness of Christ ; and no 
difference of religion, no pretence of zeal for 
God, can justify a vindictive and exterminating 
spirit. — Unhappily the warning prophetic Voice, 
here given, has been little heeded amidst the 
turbulence of passion. Men professing to be 
followers of Jesus have kindled fires to burn, not 
only idolaters and infidels, but even those who 
worshipped the same Saviour : and it is a mortify- 
ing fact, that there are few^ Churches, which, when 
they have had the power, can plead A T ot Guilty 
to the charge of persecution even unto death. 

R 2 



244 

SECTION XCII1. 

Jesus replies to the Pharisees concerning the coming of God's 
Kingdom; and warns His followers of the national con- 
sequences of rejecting Him. 

Luke xvii. 20—37- 

AND when He was demanded (asked) of the Pharisees 
when the kingdom of God, — that reign of Heaven of 
which He so often spoke as approaching, — should come, He 
answered them and said: The kingdom of God cometh 
not with outward display, or with any of those signs which 
commonly attract observation : neither shall they sav, in 

» The kingdom of God is v 7 . 7 7 . . /» 7 

righteousness, and peace, the way that men speak with admiration oj the movements 
Ghost ° y Rom.^fv. i7° ly °f an earthly power, Lo, it is here ! or, lo there ! for be- 
hold, the kingdom of God is to be found within you. a 

And He said afterwards unto some of the professing 
disciples, who were following Him merely for the temporal 
advantages of His kingdom, The days will come, — little as 
ye now value the spiritual opportunities vouchsafed to you, 
—when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son 
of man (the Messiah present among you for your reform- 
The days will come ation and deliver 'ance), and ye shall not see it. b And in that 

when the Bridegroom ,. j> Tn* n i t ± 7 -77 • 7 

shall be taken from them. time oj difficulty and distress, deceivers will arise, — each 
Matt. ix. 15. j n f urn fr e g U in n g tfe people under the assumed character of 

the Messiah : and they shall say to you, See, He is here ! 

or, see there ! If in that extremity you would still be 
c And He said, Take saved, go not after them, nor follow them. c (1) The Son of 

heed that ye be not de- . ;7 . 7 7 7 , . . . 7 . 

ceived : for many shall man will indeed come, but not in the manner which is ex- 
iZWSXtfSZ P ected: for as the lightning, that lightened out of the 
draweth near : go ye not one part under heaven, shineth ( flasheth) unto the other 

therefore after them Luke ..777 7 7 77* 

xxi. 8. part under heaven; so visible throughout the world m 

its effects, and so swift and terrible in its vengeance on an 
ungrateful people, shall also the Coming of the Son of man 
be in His day. But first must He suffer many things, and 
d The stone which the be rejected of this generation : d and for awhile the glory 

builders refused . Ps. J . 6 ' , J * 

cxviii. 22. oj (rod's kingdom shall be eclipsed. 

at A ont^wav ie with l tht men Divine Vengeance shall at length come, it will be, 
man .... crucify him no t only with the rapidity and force of lightning, but with 

crucify him. Luke xxiii. ±1 * . r iJ J J a v _ 

is, 21. the unexpectedness of the Deluge, and oj the destruction oj 

and e tw^!^toSS Sodom wMcA followed it. And as it was in the days of 
umo Urd 0 u er Acts e iifi4 ted ^ oe (Noah), the preacher of righteousness to the old world, so 
shall it be also in the days of the Coming of the Son of man : 
men will not believe in the destruction threatened, but will 
remain sunk in the same carnal security as ever. For in 
that first great judgment when the Deluge overtook a world 



(*) Go not after them, <£c] Josephus states 
(Antiq. xx. 8), that "about the time of the 
destruction of Jerusalem, many false Christs 



appeared, leading the people out of the city, and 
promising to work miracles to deliver them." — 
See also Section CXI I., Note 4. 



A WARNING OF THE DIVINE VENGEANCE AGAINST THE JEWS. 



245 



of sinners, they were proceeding in their usual course, — 
fixing their hearts solely on earthly things : they did eat, 
they drank ; they married wives, they were given in mar- 
riage ; until the very day that Noe entered into the ark, 
and then the Flood came with irresistible fury, and destroyed 
them all. e Likewise also as it was after the Flood in the 
days of Lot : every admonition of approaching peril was e ah in whose nostrils 
despised by that guilty race ; they too did eat, they drank ; Snhat in°the "dry 
they bought, they sold; they planted, they builded ; ^ but la "d> died - Gen.vii.22. 
the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire 
and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. f f Then the Lord rained 

i upon Sodom and upon 

Even thus shall it be to this generation, — who are as reck- Gomorrah fire and brim- 

7 7 . 77 . /, ,, • vi i • stone from the Lord out of 

less ana incredulous as their fathers were, — in the day heaven; and He over- 
when the Son of man is revealed (when the Messiah's tw those cities and ail 

v the plain, and all the m- 

power is to be manifested) : Punishment as exemplary shall habitants of the eities. 
overtake them, and overwhelm them with a sudden and fear- en ° X1X " 
ful destruction is ar * i{ J e 2* ^£^5 

In that day, he which shall be engaged upon the house- ? ose J murderers, and 

J ' ' u 1 burned up their city. 

top, and his stuff (his property) in the house, let him not Matt. xxii. 7. 

be concerned for its security , or come down to take it away; 

but let him look to his own safety and escape by the outer 

steps without a moment's lingering: and he that is in the 

field, let him likewise not return back. Remember Lot's 

wife : h take warning, from that awful case, of the folly h But his wife looked 

, % , J . . J , , ' J . ( ,f back from behind him, 

oj delay, and of looking back irresolutely upon perishable and she became a pillar 
things when the greatest and most lasting concerns are of salt Gen " X1X ' 26, 
at stake. Therefore whosoever, after this timely notice of 
his danger, shall seek to save his life, by taking refuge 
within the walls of Jerusalem, shall lose it for his want of 
faith ; and whosoever shall seem to others to lose his life, 
by neglecting to flee thither, shall most effectually preserve 
it. I tell you, in that dreadful night, the Providence of 
God shall interpose to preserve those of His faithful fol- 
lowers who cannot provide for their own safety : There 
shall be two men lying in one bed ; the one shall be taken 
by the enemy, and the other shall be left (3 ) to make his 
escape. Two women shall be grinding at a mill together ; (4) 
the one shall be in like manner taken, and the other left. 
Two men shall be at work together in the field ; the one 



shall be taken, and the other left. 



( 2 ) They bought, they sold; they planted, they 
builded.] The fault was not in buying and 
building, any more than in the necessary acts of 
eating and drinking to sustain life, but in fixing 
the heart on these and other earthly things ; in 
not seeking first of all the kingdom of God, 
while attending to the proper duties of their sta- 
tion — in buying no real truth, } and building no 
eternal habitation. 

( 3 ) The one shall be taken, and the other shall 
be left. ] Experience confirms the truth of this 
passage, and the case will be exemplified as long 



as the world lasts. The same employments, the 
same circumstances, the same conditions of life, 
still send forth heirs of death and heirs of ever- 
lasting glory. 

( 4 ) Two women shall be grinding together.] 
Women alone were employed to grind corn at 
hand-mills, and when the uppermost mill-stone 
was large, or expedition was needed, a second 
woman was called in to assist. The custom is 
alluded to at Exod. xi. 5, and Isa. xlvii. 1, 2. — 
Among the Athenian women a similar practice, 
existed. 



i 



246 



THE EFFICACY OF IMPORTUNATE PRAYER. 



» The eagle seeketh the 
prey, and her eyes behold 
afar off. Her young ones 
also suck up blood, and 
where the slain are, there 
is she Job xxxix. 29, 30. 

The Lord shall bring 
a nation against thee from 
far, from the end of the 
earth, as swift as the eagle. 
Deut. xxviii. 49. 

He shall come as an 
eagle against the house of 
the Lord. Hos, viii. 1 . 



And they answered and said unto Him, Where. Lord, shall 
all this take place ? And He said unto them, I will answer 
you according to the proverb of Job : — Wheresoever the dead 
body is, thither will the eagles ' 5) be gathered together to 
prey upon it : 1 And as like causes will always produce the 
like effects, so, when the measure of a nation's iniquity is 
full, Divine Justice will overtake it ; and wheresoever the 
Jews shall be collected in a body together, there will the 
swords of the Romans, who shall appear with their Eagle- 
standards 9 be ready to devour and destroy them. 



SECTION XCIV. 

Perseverance in prayer enjoined by the parable of the Impor- 
tunate Widow; and Humility in the worshipper by that 
of the self-justifying pharisee and the self-condemning 
Publican. 

Luke xviii. 1 — 14. 



■ — continuing instant 
in prayer. Rom. xii. 12. 

Continue in prayer, and 
•watch in the same. Col. 
iv. 2. 



b And seeing one of 
them suffer wrong, he de- 
fended him, and avenged 
him that was oppressed. 
Acts vii. 24. 



AND He spake a parable to this end — that however 
great the trials of life might be, men ought always 
{frequently and perseveringly) to pray, a and not to faint 
never for a moment desponding because their prayer is not 
immediately heard — saying unto them : There was in a cer- 
tain city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded 
doing justice or shewing mercy to man. And there was a 
widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying, Avenge 
me b of (Dome justice against) mine adversary. And he 
would not for a while ; but afterward he said within him- 
self, Though I fear not God, nor regard man, /or no such 
unprofitable motives influence me ; yet because this widow 



( 5 ) The eagles.] Aristotle mentions a kind of 
eagle which, like the vulture, fed on carcases 
(Hist. Animal, ix. 32) : indeed the vulture 
was commonly referred by the ancients to the 
eagle genus. The expression here may be no 
more (as some consider) than a proverb, signify- 
ing that God's judgments will fall on those who 
are ripe for them, as certainly as an eagle 
hastens to the carcase when the spirit has 
quitted it. Yet the probability of an allusion to 
the well-known Roman Standard is heightened 
by the circumstance of armies being sometimes 
compared to these birds in the language of Pro- 
phecy (see Jer. iv. 13 : Lam. iv. 19). The pro- 
phecies of Moses and Hosea {see in the Margin) 
which contain this figure, are also supposed to 
refer to the destruction of the Jewish nation by 
the Romans. It would be here represented as 
lying a miserable prey to the foes who were tear- 
ing out its vitals. 

( ] ) Men ought always to pray, and not to 
faint.] When we desire anything in this 
world, we are apt to seek it with perseverance : 



we do not easily take a denial, and often gain 
by importunity what otherwise we might never 
have succeeded in obtaining. God invites us, in 
our applications to Him, to follow the same 
course. It is speciously asked by the infidel, "Do 
! we hope, by our importunity, and by lifting up 
j our feeble voice to heaven, to move the great So- 
j vereign of the Universe and change His pur- 
poses 1 Do we propose by our prayers to furnish 
with information Him to whom the wants of all 
' His creatures are knotcn long before ? Will He 
not Himself do what is right and fit, whether we 
I ask it of Him or not ?" Such objections, however 
plausible, rest upon an altogether-mistaken view 
j of the nature and design of Prayer. Its efficacy 
lies, in working a change, not upon God, but upon 
ourselves ; in turning our own disobedient hearts, 
and so becoming fit subjects of the Divine 
Mercy : for it is not merely od account of our 
asking that our requests are granted, but be- 
cause our asking with proper disposition pro- 
duces that frame of mind which qualifies us to 
receive. 



THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLICAN. 



247 



troubleth me, I will avenge her (do her justice), lest by her 
continual coming with her mournful tale she weary (2) me. c 

And the Lord said, Hear ye, and profit by what the 
unjust judge, overcome by this widow's importunity, saith. 
And shall not the righteous God much more avenge His own 
elect (vindicate His choice and approved servants), which 
earnestly cry day and night unto Him d under the assaults 
of their enemies, though He bear long with them (though 
He seem to linger in their cause), and almost seem as though 
He heard them not ? I tell you that when He at length 
cometh, He will avenge them e speedily (suddenly), Never- 
theless when the Son of man cometh to execute judgment 
on offenders, shall He find faith on the earth ? f shall He find 
men, even in this favoured land o^Judea, believing and acting 
on the conviction, that God ever regards His faithful servants, 
and that a final difference will be made between them and 
others.^ 

And He spake this parable unto (concerning) certain 
which trusted in (relied on) themselves that they were 
righteous ; a and confident in this self-righteousness despised 
others 1 as sinners and unworthy of their notice or company: 
— Two men went up at the hour of prayer into the Temple 
to pray ; the one a Pharisee, and the other a Publican. (3 ) 
The Pharisee stood in the court of the Israelites, and 
prayed thus with himself : (4) God, I thank Thee that I am 
not as other men are, either open and violent extortioners, 
or secretly unjust, adulterers, or even in any manner vile 
and contemptible as this Publican ! / am so far from com- 
mitting sin, that I do more than my duty and the Law 
require : I fast regularly twice in the week, (5) I scrupu- 
lously give tithes of all that I possess, k — even of the most 
trifling herbs in my garden. 



c I say umo you. 
Though he will not rise 
and give him, because he 
is his friend; yet, because 
of his importunity, he will 
rise and give him. Luke 
xi. 8. 

d And they cried with 
a loud voice, saying, How 
long, O Lord, holy and 
true, dost thou not judge 
and avenge our blood on 
them that dwell on the 
earth? Rev. vi. 10. 

e Yet a little while, and 
He that shall come, will 
come, and will not tarry. 
Heb. x. 37. 

f Because iniquity shall 
abound, the love of many 
shall wax cold. Matt, 
xxiv. 12. 

s Then shall ye return, 
and discern between the 
righteous and the wicked, 
between him that serveth 
God and him that serveth 
Him not. Mai. hi. 18. 

t Behold thou art call- 
ed a Jew, and restest in 
the Law, and makest thy 
boast of God, .... and 
art confident that thou 
thyself art a guide of the 
blind. Rom. ii. 17, 19. 

» — which say, Stand by 
thyself, come not near me, 
for I am holier than thou. 
Isa. Ixv. 5. 

Then answered the Pha- 
risees, .... This people, 
who knoweth not the 
Law, are cursed. John 
vii.47,49. 

k Woe unto you, Pha- 
risees ! for ye tithe mint 
and rue, and all manner 
of herbs, and pass over 
judgment and the love of 
God. Luke xi. 42. 



-) rrcuri/.] The original of this word is pro- 
perly a pugilistic term. It signifies, literally, to 
strike (or bruise) under the eye ; hence figura- 
tively, to mortify, as the Greek signifies at 1 Cor. 
ix. 27 ; and in this place it gives the sense of 
stunning or wearying by continual importunity. 

( 3 ) The one a Pharisee, and the other a Pub- 
lican.] See an account of these two classes of 
persons, Section XVI., Notes 1 and 3. 

( 4 ) Prayed thus with himself.] The Pha- 
risee may be rather said to have gone to the 
Temple to boast than to pray. We cannot call 
what he uttered, Prayer: he only thanks God 
that he is not wicked like others, and brings for- 
ward a reckoning of the performances of his 
hands— a way in which no man living can be 
justified; for "if we say that we have no sin, 
we deceive ourselves." In his address, there is 
neither Confession nor Petition ; nor even Praise, 
except of himself. Nor do we find him content 
with merely praising himself ; he goes on to de- 
preciate his fellow-worshipper : at the very mo- 



ment he declares he is "not unjust," he is guilty 
of judging his neighbour ! — The Publican, on the 
other hand, prayed indeed : he prayed as a man 
awakened to a sense of his danger, and suppli- 
cating for his life; he accuses no man, save 
himself. Short as his prayer is, there is an ac- 
knowledgment of his unworthiness, a petition for 
pardon, profound reverence for the God whom 
he had offended, and, above all, humility. — It 
should be added, that the expression used in his 
supplication, " Be merciful," seems in the Original 
to be indicative of his obtaining pardon through 
a Propitiatory Sacrifice. 

( 5 ) I fast twice in the week.] The public (in 
addition to the private) fasts of the Jews were 
upon the second and fifth days of the week ; and 
therefore (as we learn from Tertullian) the 
Christians, that they might not be outdone by 
them in any part of devotion, chose the fourth 
and sixth days of the week (i. e., Wednesday and 
Friday) for their fasting days. 



248 



THE SELF-CONDEMNING PUBLICAN JUSTIFIED. 



And the Publican, standing afar off in the outer court of 
the Gentiles, as not deeming himself worthy to be numbered 
among God's people, would not lift up so much as his eyes 
unto heaven, — the sacred habitation of that great Being 
whom he had offended; but overcome with remorse, and 
agitated by emotion, he smote upon his breast, saying, God 
be merciful {be reconciled) to me, a vile and miserable 
sinner ! 

I tell you, that this humble-minded man went down to 
his house justified 1 rather than the other m ^ — having ob- 
tained that pardon for his past sins, which he had so earnestly 
implored at the throne of mercy. For be assured, there is 
nothing more hateful to God, or more offensive in a creature, 
than pride, — and especially spiritual pride: every one, 
therefore, that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he 
that humbleth himself shall be exalted. 11 (7) 



1 And David said unto 
Nathan, I have sinned 
^lgainst the Lord. And 
Nathan said unto David, 
The Lord also hath put 
away thy sin. 2 Sam. 
xii. 13. 

The sacrifices of God 
are a broken spirit ; a bro- 
ken and a contrite heart, 

0 God Thou wilt not des- 
pise. Ps. li. 17. 

m Bring no more vain 

oblations When ye 

spread forth your hands, 

1 will hide Mine eyes from 
you ; yea, when ye make 
many prayers, I will not 
hear. Isa. i. 13, 15. 

I will spue thee out of 
My mouth ; because thou 
sayest, I have need of no- 
thing ; and knowest not 
that thou art wretched 
and miserable. Rev. iii. 
16, 17. 

n When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up, and He shall save the humble person, 
Job xxii. 29. — God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. James iv, 6. — Humble yourselves, 
therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. 1 Pet. v. 6. 



SECTION XCV. 

Jesus proceeds on His journey; and by the way replies yet 
more plainly to the pharisees respecting dlvorce. 

Matt. xix. 1—12. Mark x. 1—12. 

AND it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these 
sayings, He arose from thence, and departed from 
the confines of Galilee and Samaria; and, preferring a 
longer route to the road through the latter country, He 
came into the coasts [the adjoining territory) of Judea, 
and reached Bethabara, by the farther or Eastern side of 
b He went away again J 0 rdan. a And °reat multitudes followed Him ; and the 

beyond Jordan, unto the TT . . , TT 

place where John at first people oj the country resort unto Him again : and> as He was 

baptized. John x. 40. Re them ^ Re healed ^ Q f 

them there as were sick. 

The Pharisees also of the neighbourhood came unto 
Him, tempting Him ; (1) and asked Him, saying unto Him, 



( G ) Justified rather than the other.] The 
Pharisee, though free from gross sins, remained 
under condemnation, because of his pride and 
boasting. The Publican, though his life had pro- 
bably been a more than commonly sinful one, 
was accepted because of his humility and contri- 
tion. The nearer we are to Repentance, the 
nearer we are to Justification ; because this is a 
state of mind which does not foreclose Faith, and 
will, in all probability, be followed by reforma- 
tion and amendment of life. 

( 7 ) Everyone that exalteth himself, <Jx.] It 
is worthy of observation that no one sentence of 
our Lord is so frequently repeated as this, which 



occurs at least ten times in the narratives of the 
Evangelists. So important an element is Humi- 
lity in the formation of the Christian character. 

(') Tempting Him.] This was a very insi- 
dious attempt. They knew His opinion already 
on the matter, for He had only lately decided it, 
when illustrating His assurance that the Moral 
Law should stand for ever (see Section 
LXXXIX.). By again bringing the subject 
prominently forward, the Pharisees hoped to in- 
cense the people against Him ; for the Jews 
reckoned the liberty of divorcing their wives as 
one of their greatest privileges. 



JESUS REPLIES TO THE PHARISEES RESPECTING DIVORCE. 249 



Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause 

(for any cause whatever) t (2) And He answered and said 

unto them, Have ye not read, that God (He which made 

them from the beginning of the creation) made them a male . ^ So God created man 

and a female ? b The Creator plainly shewed that He would image of God created He 

have it otherwise than you suppose ; and expressly said by Seaj e d Be e th«m? 

the mouth of Adam: — For this cause shall a man 27 - 

LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND SHALL CLEAVE 

TO HIS WIFE; AND THEY TWAIN SHALL BE ONE FLESH, C c For two, saith He, 

{see Gen. ii. 24). Such was originally the Divine institution ^. a 16 be one flesh - 1Cor - 

of marriage : wherefore they are no more twain, but one 

flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no 

man by any unjust divorce put asunder. d . d The Lord hath t>een 

rro ti * T/1 . , , Ti-««- i witness between thee and 

Ihey say unto Him, If this be so, why did Moses then the wife of thy youth, 

command to give a writing of divorcement to the woman, S^Zu S v!\ett 

and so to put her away? And He answered and said she % companion, and the 

v ht t i T-ii/r 7 w ^' e °^ covenant . . . 

unto them, Let Me hear what did Moses expressly com- Therefore take heed to 

mand you in this matter. And they said, Moses, if he did Jed t^Sr^ytgZit 

not in terms command, at least suffered any man, in whose J e wife of his youth: for 

„ . , .„ - ,. the Lord, the God of Is- 

eyes his wife found not favour, to write a bill of divorce- raei, saith, that He hateth 

ment, and to put her away. e And Jesus answered and said lujsf iT &J ' Md '" 

unto them, That was a temporary expedient, growing out %* t 

of a peculiar state of things, and never designed for a con- the Lord, Let not the wife 

,. tl T ,. ,, .., . , , - 7 . depart from her husband : 

tmuance ; Moses, acting as the civil magistrate, and not but and if she depart, let 

in this instance under the immediate direction of God, ^J^^™*™^ 

wrote you this precept because of the hardness of your °and. And let not the 

hearts f (your untractable dispositions), and suffered you wife^iCo? vii. 10, 11. 

without penalty to put away your wives : he allowed a e when a man hath 

relaxation of the Law. ivhenever there might be any actual * aken V? 6 ' md married 

. her, and it come to pass 

cause of complaint besides that of Adultery, because he well that she find no favour in 

knew that otherwise you would ill-treat your wives, and that f 0 unY e some Ca uncieanness 

thus still worse consequences ivould ensue. But from the SrTiin^ SroremSf 

Beginning, and before sin entered into the world, it certainly ^ &™ it in her hand, 

77 . /. . 7 an(i sen(i ner out of his 

was not so : no such departure from the original institution house. Deut. xxiv. l 

of Marriage was then allowed for trivial causes ; nor can it f Thou ^ a st jfibecked 

be tolerated now under the more perfect dispensation of the pe p p r ^ m ^atylhaft'hou 

Gospel. didst depart out of the 

And when they were alone in the house where they ca^e ^unt^Su^piace! 

lodged, His disciples asked Him again of the same mat- J^^toM?"^ 

ter ; for, retaining still many of their Jewish prejudices, ix. i. 



( s ) Is it lawful, <J;e.] A controversy on the 
subject of divorce took place between two cele- 
brated Schools about the time of our Lord's appear- 
ance. The school of Schamraah maintained that 
the words of Moses (at Deut. xxiv. I), which we 
render "some uncleanness," signified Adultery; 
whereas the school of Hillel (the one most fol- 
lowed) explained them of any matter of dislike, 
— thus allowing a wife to be divorced for any 
trifling cause, and in fact at pleasure. Jose- 
phus thus interprets the law : " He that desires 



to be divorced from his wife for any cause what- 
soever, — and many such causes happen among 
men, — let him in writing give assurance that he 
will never use her as his wife any more ; for by 
these means she may be at liberty to marry ano- 
ther" (Antiq. lib. iv. cap. 8). In his " Life," 
written by himself, this historian says (76th par. ) 
" About which time I divorced my wife, as not 
pleased with her manners, though not till she had 
been the mother of three children, two of which 
are now dead," 



250 



THE CHRISTIAN LAW OF DIVORCE. 



s The woman which 
hath an hushand, is hound 
hy the law to her hushand 
so long as he liveth. So 
then, if while her husband 
liveth she be married to 
another man, she shall be 
called an adulteress. Rom. 
vii. 2, 3. 

h I suppose, therefore, 
that this is good for the 
present distress ; I say, 
That it is good for a man 
so to be. I would have 
you without carefulness. 
He that is unmarried 
careth for the things that 
belong to the Lord, how 
he may please the Lord : 
but he that is married 
careth for the things that 
are of the world, how he 
mav please his wife. 1 
Cor. vii. 26, 32, 33. 

» Every man hath his 
proper gift of God, one 
after this manner, and 
another after that. I say 
therefore to the unmarried 
and widows, It is good for 
them if they abide even 
as I : but if they cannot 
contain let them marry. 
.... As God hath distri- 
buted to every man, — as 
the Lord hath called every 
one, so let him walk. 1 
Cor. vii. 7-9, 17. 



they were surprised at the decision which He had given 
concerning it. And He saith unto them, I, who am in 
every respect before Moses, say, and confirm this unto 
you as a law : — Whosoever shall put away his wife, except 
it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth 
adultery against her who was his first and true wife, for she 
is still protected by the original contract of marriage : and 
whoso marrieth her which is so unjustly put away, doth 
commit adultery. And if a woman shall put away her 
husband W and be married to another, which also has of 
late been shamefully and unlawfully practised among you, 
she too committeth adultery.^ 

His disciples say unto Him, If the case of the man be so 
with his wife, that he must needs be bound to her continually, 
it is not good {it is inexpedient) to marry. But He said 
unto them, All men cannot receive this saying and lead a 
pure single life, save {but only) they to whom it is given of 
God to do so. For there are some eunuchs, which were so 
born from their mother's womb : and there are some 
eunuchs, which were made eunuchs by the cruel policy of 
men ; and there be eunuchs which have made themselves as 
eunuchs, by renouncing the desires of the flesh, for the 
Kingdom of Heaven's sake. h Thus, being free from the 
cares and incumbrances of married life, they have been able 
to serve God without impediment and with a more sublime 
devotion. Yet all aire free to marry : he only that is able 
to receive it, (4) let him receive it: 1 if he has the gift of 
continency, let him use his ability of preserving it. 



SECTION XCVI. 

Jesus is hospitably entertained in the house of Martha at 
Bethany; but her sister Mary is commended for choosing 
the better part. 

Luke x. 38—42. 



OW it came to pass, as they went on their way to 
Jerusalem, that He entered into a certain village, 

* Bethany, the town of ivhich was named Bethany, a and which lay not far from the 

atw si-nrl Yiav fticfor ATar_ m ^ 

city. And a certain woman, named Martha, hospitably 



N' 



Mary and her sister Mar 
tha. John xi. 1 



( 3 ) If a woman shall put away her husband^ 
Though the Jewish law did not put it into 
a woman's power to divorce her husband, it is 
plain, from passages in Josephus, that this was 
done by ladies of distinguished rank. The hus- 
band of Herodias was living, at the time of her 
cohabitation with his brother Herod. Our Lord 
here places the guilt of either sex on the same 
level. 

(*) He that is able to receive it. ] Celibacy is 



regarded by the Roman Church as a leading rule 
of perfection, and she requires it from her clergy. 
Matrimony was enjoined on the Jewish priests, 
and so far from being disparaged in Scripture, is 
plainly declared by St. Paul to be " honourable 
in all" (Heb. xiii. 4). As our Lord shows that 
Continency is only in the power of some, it would 
seem that none but those can innocently choose a 
single life. Of the Apostles, two at least (St* 
Peter and St. Philip) were married. 



ONE THING IS NEEDFUL. 



251 



received Him into her house. And she had a sister called 

Marv, which also, with His other disciples, sat at Jesus 3 „ b — brought up at the 

Jy _ , /»7 77 7 .-J-7 feet of Gamaliel. Acts 

feet b in the usual posture of humble ana attentive learners xxii. 3. 
among the Jews, and heard His Word ; (1 > for as soon as 
He entered the House, He commenced, according to His 
custom, some edifying discourse. 

But Martha,- — on whom, as being the elder sister, the 

7 , i/7« t\ c There they made Him 

care of the family devolved, — was cumbered [distracted) a supper, and Martha 

about much serving ; c making great and unusual prepa- served ' John xu ' 2 * 

ration for the refreshment of their honoured guest. And ^ ld Th a e n /X e S 1"? 

thinking that every other occupation ought to give way to other thin gs entering in, 

• 7 J' 7 J U 4. Z. 'J. J' J J. Ch ° ke t 11 * W ° rd ' ^ 

one so pressing, she was displeased that tier sister did not it hecometh unfruitful. 

lend a helping hand in doing the honours of the house : and ^wo^have you with. 

she came therefore appealing to Him, and said, Lord, dost ^ carefulness. 1 Cor. 
Thou not care [art Thou regardless) that my sister hath 

left me to serve alone ? bid her [speak to her) therefore handle not ; which all are 

that she come and help me. cdtliTi. ^ 

And Jesus, who lightly regarded every pleasure of the f 0ne thing haye T de _ 

senses, and whose meat and drink it ever was to benefit sued of the Lord, that 1 

. , -,n i i • l . 1 «7 will seek after ; that I may 

the souls of men, answered and said unto her reprovingly, dwell in the House of the 

— yet with affectionate earnestness repeating her name, i^tfLho^the btauty 

— Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about of the Lord > and t0 

, . j . 7 . 7 . 7,7 • 77. quire in His Temple. Ps. 

many things; 0 thy mind w immoderately anxious and dis- xxvii. 4. 

quieted with a multiplicity of cares, which are not worth so i^what 0 shaU 8 we eat? 

much solicitude, for they are all unsatisfying and transi- or w } at shdi we drink? 

^ * . . J y & or wherewithal shall we 

tory. e But One Thing is Needful/ (2) in comparison of he clothed? But seek ye 

which all other things are of little importance. One Thing and ^is^r^hTeo^sness 3 , 

there is, altogether necessary and absolutely essential to the ^fLtunto ^S^Matt 

proper happiness of beings formed and destined for immor- vi. 31, 33. 



(!) Sat at His feet and heard His Word.] The 
same distinction, at once of duty and character, 
in these sisters, may be observed in the two 
other passages (both in St. John's Gospel) where 
alone they are mentioned. Martha is inciden- 
tally represented as an eager busy person : Mary 
as quiet, and given to contemplation. After 
their brother's death, Martha hurries out to 
meet Jesus, but Mary sits still in the house 
(John xi. 20). On an occasion similar to the 
present, we find Martha serving at a supper 
which had been prepared for entertaining Jesus, 
while Mary anoints His feet and is again com- 
mended (John xii. 2, 3). 

( 2 ) One Thing is Needful] Arguments have 
been drawn from this portion of Scripture in 
favour of a monastic and contemplative, instead 
of an active life of worldly duty ; but such a 
course of life is not here prescribed. Two par- 
ticular actions are compared ; in which case to 
hear the Word of God is evidently preferable to 
the exercise of any other (especially when not 
-really needful) occupation. — Perhaps these few 
simple words, " One Thing is Needful," may be 
pronounced to be the gravest and most important 
apophthegm ever uttered. If the Immortality of 
the soul be true, it is indisputable that nothing 
can take precedence of those things which con- 



cern our Faith and Duty here, and our happiness 
for ever. — It is observable that the words were 
spoken by our Lord incidentally, forming part of 
a private and familiar exhortation ; and this 
should be a further lesson to all Christians to 
speak " a word in due season." It is a melan- 
choly fact that the great and vital truths of Reli- 
gion seem to be banished by common consent 
from our conversation, our fire-side, and our 
tables. Much general information is commonly 
struck out in the course of conversation ; and a 
hint on any question of science or literature, — 
artlessly and naturally thrown out by those whose 
minds are deeply imbued with their subject, — 
has often led others into a course of successful 
study. Ought it not, then, to be expected that, 
in the language of the prophet Malachi, " They 
that fear the Lord should speak often one to 
another ?" Of course such momentous topics 
are not to be thrust forward, or lightly and in- 
considerately treated of; but they may be noticed 
from time to time without harshness or formality; 
and advantage may often be taken of a casual 
event to raise in the minds (more especially of 
young people) a train of religious thought, which, 
by the grace of God, may have the greatest in- 
fluence on their future lives. 



252 



WHICH IS THE GOOD PART. 



id S ie earth shal J b*t ^ a ^y » an d that is, the cultivation of true Piety and the 
My salvation shall be for improvement of the Soul in Divine things. And, I must 
eV My ^h^p 6 'hear My P^nly tell you, that Mary, in wisely seizing every such 
voice and i know them opportunity of knowing her duty, hath chosen that Good 

and they follow Me. And n i • j» . . 

i give unto them eternal Part, — for so the portion of a religious life may eminently 

p^X d ndSr^shLi ne an e y be called, — which shall not be taken away from her:& 

My&t John x Ut 27 f a f ter makin 9 her happy here, it shall abide with her to a 

28. ' blessed eternity. 



SECTION XCVII. 

Jesus attends the Feast of the Dedication at Jerusalem: on 
which occasion the jews attempt to stone hlm for imputed 

BLASPHEMY ; AND He RETIRES AGAIN TO BeTHABARA. 

John x. 22 — 42. 

AND it was the Feast of the Dedication (1) at Jerusalem, 
and it was winter; at which season that Feast was 
always held. And Jesus, who attended the Feast there, 
walked in the colonnade of the Temple (in Solomon's 
porch, (2 > as it was called), which was a place of common 
resort during inclement weather. 

Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto 
Him, How long dost thou make us to doubt (hold us in 
suspense, Marg.) ? If thou be indeed the Christ, tell us 
so plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you in effect, and 
ye believed not : for I have already openly declared, that " if 
ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also ; thai 
if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins ; that 
He that sent Me is with Me; that I proceeded forth and came 
from God, and was before Abraham" [John viii. 19, 24, 29, 
42, 58) : Again, I told you that I was the " Good Shepherd," 
— the character under which your prophets have spoken of 
the Messiah, — who would give His life for the sheep {John 
x. 11). Therefore you have no excuse for your unbelief and 
pretended state of suspense. Yet, had I not spoken to you 
thus plainly, the works that I do in My Father's name 



(0 The Feast of the Dedication.] This Feast 
was instituted by Judas Maccabeus (164 years be- 
fore Christ) in memory of the restoration of the 
Altar and Temple, which had been grossly pro- 
faned by heathen pollutions under Antiochus 
Epiphanes. We learn from Josephus, in whose 
time this Feast was observed with much pomp, 
that it was also named the "Feast of Lights," be- 
cause the houses were illuminated during the eight 
days' ceremony of purification. It was always 
celebrated in December, and, unlike the other 
Feasts, was observed throughout the entire 
country. — From the fact of our Saviour's pre- 
sence at this feast, the argument seems conclu- 
sive, that festival-days and memorials of special 



national mercies may allowably be appointed by 
persons duly authorized, without any express and 
Divine command. 

( 2 ) Solomon's porch.] So called, because it 
was the only part of Solomon's Temple left un- 
destroyed by the Babylonians. According to 
Josephus, it was in our Saviour's time still a 
noble structure, though somewhat dilapidated. 
It is again mentioned in the Book of Acts (iii. 
11 ; v. 12). Such piazzas were common among 
the ancients, and from the circumstance of 
Teachers making use of them to communicate 
oral instruction to their followers, one celebrated 
sect of philosophers derived its name, Peripatetics. 
The Stoics also, directly, from 2roa, a Porch, 



THE JEWS AGAIN ATTEMPT TO STONE JESUS. 



253 



by the Divine power dwelling in Me, they bear sufficient 

witness of Me a that I am the Christ. But in reality you » The works which the 

do not need evidence of the Truth : ye believe not, because the fame works 

ye are not of Mysheep, b and have not that docile and well- ^^'the FathlThad! 

disposed mind which is required of My followers. As I sent Me. John v. 36. 

said unto you, (3) My sheep, — those who are truly such, — b He that is of God, 

hear (give heed to and obey) My voice; and I know, (J Sefo^heiTem'not 

acknowledge) them as Mine, and they follow Me. And I } e 0 ^^J\j re not ot God 
give unto them that greatest of all blessings. Eternal Life : c 

a jr vz. * A7 • u J j. <= Thou hast given Him 

And 1 guard them with such Almighty power and such con- power over ail flesh, that 

stant care, that, if they be but faithful unto death, they shall Se^lSTafSu 

never perish ; d W neither shall any man be able to pluck J"* | iven Him - John 

them out of My hand. e My Father, which gave them to ' \ 

Me, is greater than all the enemies, earthly or spiritual, who your Father which\ in 

rise up against them ; and no man is able to pluck them out Jttirones^o^perisT 

of my Fathers hand. f / declare this to you as a most solemn Matt, xvtti. 14. 

and certain truth, that I and My Father are One Being (5 ) — untoyou' if a man keep 

essentially One in nature, as well as in counsel and power. ^JdSh g ' j^h^iiTo? 

Then the Jews, filled with rage, would have punished e He . g aUe to gave 

Him on the spot as a blasphemer, and again they took up them to the uttermost that 

stones to stone Him, as they did when He declared His Heb! vs. 25. ° 7 lm " 

existence before Abraham. But Jesus answered them, f x ^ persU aded, that 

Many good works have I shewed you from My Father: / neither death, nor lite, nor 

J ° angels, nor principalities. 

call you to witness that all My miracles have been of a nor powers, nor things 

beneficent kind; I have healed your sick, fed the hungry, Sm^'nor^heigiSf 8 nor 

given sight to the blind, and the dead have been restored depth, nor any other crea- 

00 ■> _ ture, shall be able to se- 

again to their afflicted friends: for which then of those parate us from the love of 

t ii 7 , it > rm -r i God, which is in Christ 

good works do ye seek to stone Me? Ine Jews answered jesus our Lord. Rom. 

Him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not, but vul - 38 > 39 - 
for thy wicked blasphemy, ( 6 ) and because that thou, 



( 3 ) As I said unto you. ] The authorized Ver- 
sion uses a different punctuation in placing these 
words. They are there added at the close of the 
preceding sentence, but as our Saviour had no 
where before told the Jews " that they were not 
His sheep," such an arrangement of the passage 
creates a difficulty. At the same time, allowing 
them to remain, the difficulty is not an insuper- 
able one : for St. John says, at the conclusion of 
his Gospel, that there were many other circum- 
stances, in connection with the Saviour's history, 
which had not been recorded; and we might sup- 
pose that saying to be among the number. In 
effect, too, He had told them, in the Discourse 
of the Good Shepherd, that they were not His 
sheep ; for He there, as here, describes it as the 
characteristic of His sheep that they " hear His 
voice" (John x. 3, 27). 

( 4 ) They shall never perish, Qc. ] This pas- 
sage, rightly understood, gives no countenance 
to the dangerous notion that "the elect can 
never fall away and perish :" the w r ords have no 
relation whatever either to personal election, 
or to final perseverance. We find, on the 
contrary, frequent exhortations to Christ's sheep, 
not to fail of the grace received (see Heb. xii. 
15), and, not to lose what had been wrought in 



them (see 2 John 8). This passage is chiefly 
remarkable as a strong attestation to the Divinity 
of Christ ; He declares His own power to pre- 
serve His sheep in the same words (viz., " that 
none shall pluck them out of His hand") which 
He immediately after employs to declare His 
Father's power. 

( 5 ) / and My Father are One.~\ In the Original 
the neuter gender is employed, and signifies 
Unity of Essence. Those who interpret the 
words merely of Unity of Power, forget that 
Omnipotence is an attribute of God alone, and 
that, therefore, one and the same Divine Nature 
must be implied. 

( 6 ) For blasphemy.] The circumstance of 
the Jews preparing to stone our Lord is the best 
exposition of His words. It is plain that they 
understood Him to assert His own Divinity, and 
since they, addressed in their own language, 
received His words in that sense, it must be 
their most natural and obvious meaning. Nor 
did our Lord deny that He wished to be so un- 
derstood: so far from correcting their mistake, 
or attempting to clear Himself from the charge 
of blasphemy, He sums up with another strong 
declaration implying the same thing, viz., that 
He was in the Father, and the Father in Him. 



254 



JESUS RETIRES TO BETHABARA. 



being a mere man, — a poor weak mortal like ourselves, — 
% Therefore the Jews makest thyself God ;£ daring to assume the majesty and 

sought the more to kill 7 . . n . . / , , 7 , T7 7 t ± • 7 

Him, because He riot only divine perfections oj the great Jehovah. Jesus, — not wish- 
b^s^awaatGod^ ^ n 9 io bring this mysterious truth into any further discus- 
His Father, making Him- s ion, — answered them, Is it not written in your Law, I 
John v 18. 1 ° ' said, Ye are gods (Ps. lxxxii. 6) ? If he (the Psalmist) 
called them gods, — such as prophets, judges, and magis- 
h There is no power but trates, — unto whom the Word of God came, h assisting 
^ ^o^aineTrfG^d! them as His a 9^nts and ministers in the performance of 
....They are God's mi- fhtir several duties ; if this honourable title of'qods" be 

nisters. Rom. xui. 1, 6. . J v 

given to men who have only a subordinate participation of 
the Divine authority; and since the Scripture cannot be 
broken (cannot possibly be taken exception to), how say ye 
with any consistency of Him, who hath done among you works 
such as no other ever did or can do, — whom moreover the 
Father by His Holy Spirit, imparted to Him without mea- 
sure and abiding essentially in Him, hath sanctified 1 (set 
i Him hath God the apart) for the work of Redemption, and hath now sent 
Father sealed. John vi. y or so suo n me a purpose into the world, — how, I ask, do ye 
venture to say of Him, Thou blasphemest, because I simply 
k That Holy Thing said, I am the Son of God? k I do not ask you to believe 
thee shall be called the in that exalted character which I claim, merely upon My 
son of God. Luke i. 35. Qwn test ' imony . if \ j 0 not t h e wor ks of My Father,— even 

the like Omnipotent works that He doeth, — then believe Me 
not in what I said, that I and My Father are One ; but if I 
unquestionably do such ivorks, though ye believe Me not on 
the testimony of My own words, yet believe the plain testi- 
1 if 1 had not done mony of the works. 1 Judge for yourselves whether they 
^iSfnoneothermanyid! be not the works of Omnipotence, that ye may know and 
John xv a 24 n0t had Sm ' De n eve that there is a connection the most intimate, an union 
the most complete and perfect, between Us — that the Father 
™ The Father that dwei- is indeed in Me, and I in Iiim. m 
w*k s n ^ei2ve d Me\hat Therefore, upon this reassertion of His Divinity, they 
LeFariieMnMe^oreise oecame V e ^ more vehemently enraged, and sought again to 
believe Me for the very take (to apprehend ) Him : but He escaped out of their 

works' sake. John xiv. -, . . iti'^^i i 

10, 11. hand, and went away again beyond Jordan, into the place 

and h i U, in at Thee rti John ca ^ ed Bethabara within the country of Peraea, where John 
xvii. 21. at first baptized ; n and there He abode some time, vouch- 

conciiing the world unto safing to the people of that retired district the benefit of 
Himself. 2 Cor. v. 19. fl oc f r i ne an d m i ra cles. And many of them resorted 

n These things were un t 0 Him, remembering the testimony which the Baptist 

done m Bethabara, be- y y • t i v 

yond Jordan, where John had there given of Him, and they said: — John did no 
was baptizing. John 1. m j rac j e ^ Q con fl rm jji s doctrine, but all things that J ohn 

»He must increase, but spake of this Man were true 0 — thus confirming the Divine 
J.™™' decrease< John authority of both: and truly, so great and varied are the 
miracles of this Extraordinary Person, so sublime is His 
doctrine, and with such authority does He speak, that He 
can be no other than the "Mightier One" who was to come, 
— And many of them believed on Him there. 



255 



SECTION XCVIII. 

Jesus displays His Almighty power as the Giver op Life, in 
raising Lazarus from the dead after he had been buried 
four days. 

John xL 1—54. 



N 



O W a certain man was dangerously sick, a named a — sick with divers 
Lazarus, of Bethany, (1) the town of Mary and her 
sister Martha. — It was that Mary which sat at the feet of 
Jesus to hear His word, and afterwards anointed the 
Lord (2) with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, 
whose brother Lazarus was sick. 

Therefore his sisters, full of concern for their suffering 
brother, sent unto Him [unto Jesus), saying, Lord, behold, he 
whom Thou lovest is sick ; for they hoped that upon merely 
knowing the fact, He would come immediately and heal 
him. When Jesus heard that message, He said in reply, 
This sickness is not unto a death which shall continue {it 
is not irrecoverably fatal), but it is intended for a remarkable 
manifestation of the glory of God, that the Son of God, 
who participates in that glory, might be glorified thereby . b b This beginning of 

T 777 i iTi/r^i it • , i miracles did Jesus in Cana 

JNow Jesus had long loved Martha, and her sister, and of Galilee, and manifested 
Lazarus. When therefore He had thus heard that he was J^HHsgtey. Johnii. 
sick, He determined at once to raise him from the dead ; , ,. Tbis , man , was , bom 

, 7.77777. 7 7 7, Wmd, that the works of 

but, as his death had only just taken place, and the case might God should be made ma. 

be represented as one merely of suspended animation, He sf m Hun ' John **' 

abode still in the same place (Bethabara) where He was — so 

as to give time for the interment of the body. Then, after 

that, He saith to His disciples, Let us go into Judea again. 

His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought 

to stone Thee, and goest Thou thither again — venturing 

into danger of Thine own accord ? Jesus answered, Are 

there not twelve hours in the day (Is there not a certain 

time allotted for every one's duties) ? If any man walk 

in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the Sun 

which is the light of this world ; but if a man foolishly c w a ik while ye have 

delay his journey and walk in the night, he stumbleth, Sme^pony^i^hl 

because there is no light in him : c his eye, which is the that waiketiTin darkness 

7 , /» 7 . 7 7 .7 7 rv t-7 kuoweth not whither he 

light oj his body, serves as a guide no longer. So, as 1 have g0 eth. John xii. 35. 



(*) Lazarus, of Bethany.'] This remarkable 
account of the Raising of Lazarus was omitted by 
the earlier Evangelists, on the principle which 
led them to omit the fact of St. Peter being the 
disciple who cut off the ear of Malchus — namely, 
lest it should subject the party immediately con- 
cerned to persecution. The account of this 
miracle would be needless during their time ; for 
it would be well-known, and not only many wit- 
nesses, but Lazarus himself, would be alive to 



testify it. He is supposed to have lived to the 
date of St. Luke's Gospel, though not to the age 
of St. John, who wrote so much later. 

( 2 ) Which anointed the Lord.] This happened 
subsequently. St. John speaks of it as done, 
because it was a circumstance well-known at the 
time he wrote. So Matthew (iv. 18) speaks of 
te Simon called Peter," previous to that Apostle 
being so named by our Lord. 



256 



JESUS REACHES BETHANY AFTER THE DEATH OF LAZARUS. 



* I must work the before told you, d must I work while My day lasts ; and all 
Me. while it is day : the the malice of My enemies will be defeated until the night of 
tt\^l w ™ n ° M V Passion cometh. 

man can work. J onn ix. & 

4 - These things said He, and after that He saith unto 

* Thou shait sleep with them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, e but I go that I may 
thy fathers. 2 Sam. vu. awa k e ou f. that sleep. Then said His disciples, 

^j^Tr£$te Lord > if he *» able to slee P> he sha11 do well: he ma y y et 

sleep of death. Ps. xiu. recover, and there is the less need of risking Thine own life 
Many of them that in Judea, — Howbeit Jesus spake of his sleeping in death : 
ear'th shaifawlke. °Dan! but the y thought that He had spoken of taking of ordinary 
xii - 2 - rest in sleep. Then Jesus, who knew by virtue of His 

—concerning them which ^ ^ , 7 i. 

are asleep, that ye sorrow (Jmmsctence that the decease had now taken place, said unto 
peTo^'ope^T'S them Plainly, Lazarus is dead: and, as I might have yielded 
iv - I3 - to the entreaties of friends and the bent of My own feelings, 

I am glad for your sakes that I was not there before his 
death, to the intent that when ye behold your Master's 
power, ye may more firmly believe in Him. Nevertheless, 
as he is now undoubtedly dead, let us without fwther delay 
go unto him. 

Then said Thomas (which is called Didymus, or the 
Twin) unto his fellow disciples : If He go into Judea, espe- 
cially so near to the city as Bethany, they will certainly 
stone Him : but let us also go, that we may share His lot 
and die with Him. 

Then when Jesus came near the village, He found 
that he had lain in the grave four days already/ 3 ) Now 
Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, not more than about 
fifteen furlongs (scarcely two miles) off ; so that friends 
and connections of the afflicted family resided in the city. 
And accordingly many of the Jews came over to Martha 
« And Ephiaim their and Mary to comfort thein f concerning their good brother, 
dty S e , r and°hS ed breXren which it was customary among the Jews to do during the 
came to comfort him. i seven days which succeeded the burial. 

Chron. vii. 22. ' , 

job s three friends made Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was 
to come^moum 86 ^ coming, went forth to welcome her Lord, and met Him on 
jobiTn* 0 comfort him ' the way : but Mary, who knew not of His approach, still 
Weep with them that sats {remained to mourn) in the house. Then said Martha 
-weep. Rom. xii. 15. -^to Jesus, Lord, if Thou hadst been here to intercede for 
Ndi?i!4. d ° Wnaildwept us a t the Throne of mercy, my dear brother had not died. 

But I know that, even now, whatsoever Thou wilt ask of 
God, God will give it Thee. Jesus saith unto her, Weep 
not, Martha ; thy brother shall rise again. Martha, igno- 



( 3 ) He had Iain in the grave four days already.] 
Bethany was about a day's journey from Betha- 
bara. It would take one day for the messenger 
to reach the latter place : Jesus stayed two days 
before He set out ; and on the fourth day He 
would arrive at Bethany. So that Lazarus died 
soon after the messenger left, and, according to 
the usual custom in those hot countries, would be 
buried without delay. After the fourth day a 



great change would take place in the dead. — By 
this miracle Jesus had now completely mani- 
fested His power over the corruption of the grave 
in all its gradations. He raised the daughter of 
Jairus when but just dead; the widow's son, wha 
had been some time longer dead ; and now a 
body was raised when it was actually returning 
to its elements, — earth to earth, and dust to dust. 



JESUS DECLARES HIMSELF TO BE THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. 257 



rant of the extent of His power, saith unto Him, Lord, I 

know well that he shall rise again, h but it will only be in »» Though after my skin 

the Resurrection common to all at the Last Day. Then Je^my&^^JfL 

Jesus said unto her, -plainly teaching her that all the G °t d tifo^e m 

fulness of power and the gift of eternal life resided in sleep in the dust shar 

Himself— I am the Resurrection and the Life he that hI? and^omrtrlhame 

believeth in Me, though he were dead (though he die), yet vL^T" 8 C(,ntempt 

shall he live again ; and whosoever liveth (every one that { ^ m ^ ^ 

liveth) and believeth in Me, shall never die k (shall not die John i. 4. 

for ever, Gr.). Believest thou this ? for if such be thy w ^ h ^ii?^!f^ 

faith in Me as the Saviour, thou shouldest not doubt My £ e F ^ her l _ ha 1 th TT lif ^ in 

«' 7 u Himself, so hath He given 

power to raise thy brother. — Awed by the dignity of His to the Son to have life in 

manner, and convinced by the authority with which He jJ U s" saiJVam'fhe 

spake, she saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; I do believe that Bl je^ f s L ^ 

Thou art the Christ, the Son of God 1 — even He, described am the Way, and the 

to us under those glorious titles in Scripture, which should xivfe. 31 * * 6 " J ° ha 

come into the world : whatever power and authority belong k He that believeth on 

unto Messiah, I am sure that Thou, Lord, dost possess. l T n . e Son hath Everlasting 

x Life; and he that believetk 

And when she had so said, she went her way, and, not the Son shall not see 

at the bidding of Jesus, called Mary her sister secretly Ll God J hath 1U given unto 

(privately), saying, The Master is come, and calleth for ^^ms Son-^e 

thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and that hath the Son hath 

came unto Him. Now Jesus was not yet come into the ^saihShnat Life. "*? 

town, but was still in that place where Martha met Him, John v - n > 12 - 

and He continued to await there the arrival of Her 1 v ( e b ^ Te and arft 

s "*e that Thou art that 

sister. The Jews then, which were with her m the house Christ, the Son of th« 

and comforted her, not being aware that Martha had llvmg God " John T1, 6d * 
returned to fetch her, when they saw Mary, that she rose 
up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth 
unto the grave to weep there: let us dissuade her from 
thus painfully aggravating her sorrow, — And so it provi- 
dentially occurred that many of the Jews were present to 
witness the mighty miracle which followed. 

Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw 
Him, she fell down at His feet, saying unto Him, as her 
sister had done, and with the natural expression of regret that 
He had not come sooner, Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my 
brother had not died — and overcome with her grief she 
could utter no more. Therefore when Jesus, who had 
already been much pained by the needful delay ivhich had 
taken place, saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping 
which came with her, He groaned in the spirit and was 

troubled (His soul became deeply affected). And, after a j^XTrtfflLri^He 

pause, He said to them who stood by, Where have ye laid was afflicted, isa. km. 

him ? — which enquiry He first made that there might be no ' when He was come 

appearance of collusion or fraud. They said unto Him, "^^ t b ^ d it th Yuke 

Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. m ^ Then the Jews, xix. 4i. 

( 4 ) Jesus wept.~\ Our Translators have made I out good reason. It is a touching incident, im- 
Oiis the shortest verse in the Bible 3 and not with- j pressing on us the trutli that our blessed Lord not 

s 



258 



LAZARUS IS RAISED FROM THE DEAD. 



seeing Him in tears, said, Behold how He loved him \ 
And some of them said, Could not this man, which lately 
opened the eyes of the beggar who was born blind, have 
caused that even this man should not have died ? 

Jesus therefore, again groaning in Himself, cometh to 
the grave. It was a cave, and a large stone lay upon [against) 
the mouth of it. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. 
Martha, the sister of him that was dead — even she who 
just before had so nobly professed her belief — began to waver 
in her faith when she considered the great change that must 
have already taken place in her brother, and saith unto Him, 
Lord, by this time he stinketh [the smell is offensive, Gr.), 
for he hath been dead four days. Jesus, gently rebuking 
her incredulity, saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that 
if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest assuredly see the 
glory of God manifested in the restoration of thy brother ? 

Then they took away the stone from the place where 
the dead body was laid. And Jesus, — appealing directly to 
God as His Father, that they might perceive from the result 
how false were the charges of blasphemy which had been 
brought against Him, — lifted up His eyes, and said in 
full assurance that the miracle would immediately be 
wrought, Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me (5) 
in My ivish to confirm by this miracle the faith of My fol- 
\ Jfsys answered and lowers: And I knew well that Thou hearest Me always: 

said, This Voice came not . . . • 

because of Me, but for but, because of the people 11 that stood by, I said it ; that 
your sakes John xu. so. perceiving the Divine power manifest in this work, 

may believe that Thou hast indeed sent Me. 

And when He had thus spoken, instead of the muttered 
• When they shall say whispering practised among their magicians 0 He cried with 
tTaTw femaSlpiriS a loud voice,— so that all might hear, and perceive how the 
and unto wizards that ven . d ea rf fa f^ l€ i r q raves mere subject to His call, — and 

mutter. Isa. vni. 19. f * J ' 

said, Lazarus, Come forth ! And immediately he that was 
dead [the very same man who had recently died) came forth, 
p Simon Peter seeth the bound hand and foot with grave-clothes; and his face 
napkin^tha't wl^about was bound about ™ th a napkin.P Jesus saith unto them, 
His head. John xx. 6 7. Loose (Unbind) him, and let him go. ( e ) 



only bore the form and fashion of a man, but expe- 
rienced the tenderest feelings incident to human 
nature ; that He was " like unto us in all things, 
sin only excepted." We perceive His humanity 
in the words " Jesus wept," as we recognise 
His Divinity in the voice of authority, "Lazarus, 
come forth." It need not, therefore, have been 
captiously asked, Why Jesus wept over the grave 
of one whom He could at a word have restored ? 
He wept from sympathy with the grief of others, 
for it is the nature of Sympathy (as that word im- 
plies) "to weep with them who weep" (Rom. xii. 
15): it was not until our Lord "saw Mary weep- 
ing, and the Jews also weeping with her," that 
He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 

This incident teaches us, that as Jesus sancti- 
fied the tear of sorrow for the departed, human 
grief is never to be condemned as sinful, pro- 



vided it be kept within its due bounds and be 
chastened by humble faith and pious resignation. 

( 5 ) Father j I thank thee that Thou hast lieard 
Me.} Although a formal address to the Father 
occurs here, which had not previously been our 
Lord's custom when He wrought miracles, it is im- 
portant to observe that it is not apetition for power, 
but a thanksgiving on behalf of others. He im- 
plies His intimate union with the Father at the 
same time that a certain dependance on Him as 
Mediator is recognized. At the outset of the 
narrative it is declared (see ver. 4), that this 
miracle was expressly intended for the glory both 
of God and of the Son of God, their glory being 
one and the same. 

( 6 ) Loose him, and let him go.] Lazarus is 
allowed to depart, that Jesus might not seem to 
carry him about with Him in triumph. The 



THE JEWS HOLD A COUNCIL AGAINST JESUS. 



259 



Then many of the Jews which came to comfort Mary, 
and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him. 
But some of them, hardened in their prejudices against 
Him, went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what 
things Jesus had done — thus verifying what He had said in 
His parable, that not even one rising from the dead would 
persuade them.^ Then the chief priests and Pharisees 
gathered a council, and said, What do we ? — what are we 
all about in suffering these things ? for this man, by some 
means or other, undoubtedly doeth many miracles/ If we 
let him thus alone, all men {the whole people) will believe 
on him, s and will be proclaiming Him as the promised King 
of Israel; and then the Romans shall come and take away 
both our place (our Temple) and nation {: K In vain did 
those who ivere friendly to Jesus,* — such as Nicodemus and 
Joseph of Arimathea, — urge upon the assembly the unlawful- 
ness of molesting an innocent person : and at length one of 
them, named Caiaphas, being the High-priest that same 
year,< 8 ) said unto them, Ye evidently know nothing at all of 
what good policy is in a case like this, nor consider that it 
is expedient for us that one man, even though he were 
innocent, should die for the good of the people, and that 
the whole nation perish not : we must get rid therefore of 
this man, making no scruple about the means. 

And this remarkable saying spake he not of himself, 
for it was neither his meaning nor his desire that Jesus 
should in any way become the Salvation of the people : but, 
being High-priest that memorable year, it pleased God to 
influence his words; and he in effect prophesied (9) that 
Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation 
only, but it was also true that He should gather together 
in one great family the future children of God, ivhether 



1 He said unto them, 
If they hear not Moses 
and the prophets, neither 
will they be persuaded 
though one rose from the 
dead. Luke xvi. 31. 

r They conferred among 
themselves, saying, What 
shall we do to these men ? 
for that indeed a notable 
miracle hath been done by 
them is manifest to all 
them that dwell at Jeru- 
salem: and we cannot 
deny it. Acts iv. 15, 16. 

8 The Pharisees there- 
fore said among them- 
selves, Perceive ye how 
ye prevail nothing ? Be- 
hold, the world is gone 
after him. John xii. 19. 

* Among the chief 
rulers also many believed 
on Him. John xii, 42, 



spectators are desired to loose him from the 
bandages that swathed his body, because, although 
the Lord's word could at the same time have 
effected this, He would not needlessly multiply 
miracles. He did not at first remove the stone, 
by commanding it to roll away, because His 
power was not required in such cases. 

( 7 ) The Romans shall come, <|-c.] A danger 
is here imagined which could have no reality, for 
Jesus might still have taught His heavenly truths, 
and preached a "kingdom not of this world," 
without interruption from the Romans. The 
passage is an awful warning to all dishonest 
statesmen, and exhibits the just and usual effect 
of worldly policy exalting itself against Justice 
and the Counsel of God. The very people, whose 
resentment the Jewish rulers thought to escape 
by destroying Jesus, became the instruments of 
God's vengeance : their Temple was razed to the 
ground by the Romans, and they were themselves 
dispersed all over the world. — It may surprise us 
that the Pharisees were not at length convinced 
by this miracle : they did not deny it ; it was 
impossible for them to do so ; in fact they con- 



demned Jesus as a dangerous innovator upon the 
very ground of the truth and notoriety of His mi- 
racles. The reason was, that their own Power 
was sweet to them, and they would not give it up. 
We see men acting so still : it is not that they 
do not believe in the Gospel ; but present tilings 
have an influence over them which they cannot 
or will not resist. 

( 8 ) Being the High-priest that same year. ] This 
office, though allowed to continue in the line of 
Aaron, was no longer held for life. When the 
government came into the hands of the Romans, 
they changed the High-priests at pleasure, and 
so these dignitaries came to be reckoned by years. 

( 9 ) He prophesied.] Though the High-priest 
did not intend to speak of our Lord's death as an 
atonement or sacrifice, that important truth was 
conveyed in his words. Caiaphas was a bad man, 
but (as in the case of Balaam and others) his 
office, rather than his person, must be regarded. 
In former times great importance had been 
attached to the opinion of the High-priest, by 
whom God frequently made known His will. 
See Numb, xxvii. 21. 

S 2 



260 



JESUS RETIRES TO EPHRAIM. 



» And the Lord said, It 
is a light thing that Thou 
shouldest be My servant 
to restore the preserved of 
Israel: I will also give 
Thee for a Light to the 
Gentiles, that Thou may- 
est be My Salvation unto 
the end of the earth. Isa. 
xlix. 6. 

Other sheep I have 
which are not of this fold ; 
them also I must bring, 
and they shall hear My 
voice, and there shall be 
one fold and one Shep- 
herd. John x. 16. 



Jews or Gentiles, that were scattered abroad all over the 
ivorld. n 

Then, the decision of the High-priest having silenced all 
further opposition, from that day forth they took counsel 
together for to put Him to death. Jesus, therefore, well 
knowing the secret resolution they had formed, walked no 
more openly among the Jews until His time was fully come; 
but went thence unto a mountainous part of the country 
near to the wilderness of Judea, into a small city called 
Ephraim, which lay some miles north from Jerusalem; 
and there He continued about a month with His disciples. 



SECTION XCIX. 
Jesus blesses little children who are brought to Him. 
Matt. xix. 13—15. Mark x. 13—16. Luke xviii. 15—17- 



8 I have behaved and 
quieted myself as a child 
that is weaned of his mo- 
ther ; my soul is even as 
a weaned child. Ps.cxxxi. 
2. 

Except ye become as 
little children, ye shall not 
enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. Matt, xviii. 3. 

In malice be ye chil- 
dren. 1 Cor. xiv. 20. 

As new-born babes de- 
sire the sincere milk of the 
Word that ye may grow 
thereby. 1 Pet. ii. 2. 



AND then they who believed in Jesus, brought unto 
Him their infants and young children, that He should 
touch [put His hands on, Matt.] them, and pray. (1) And 
when His disciples saw it, they rebuked those that brought 
them for the intrusion — thinking it beneath their Master to 
notice such young creatures, who could not, they thought, 
profit by His teaching. 

But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and 
said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto Me, 
and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God. 
Verily, I say again unto you, Whosoever shall not receive 
the kingdom of God as a little child, a — aiming at un- 
alloyed humility, with that freedom from gross sins and 
a worldly spirit which characterizes little children, — he 
shall in no wise enter therein, 



( J ) That He should touch them, and pray.} 
These children were not brought to Jesus for 
any bodily cure, or they would scarcely be re- 
pulsed (any more than other sufferers had been) 
by His disciples. Wherever our Lord is desired 
to lay hands on the sick, it is either expressly 
declared, or sufficiently intimated, that He "heal- 
ed " them : here it is added, instead, that " He 
blessed them." Being capable, as well as older 
persons, of His good wishes, these infants had 
been piously brought by their parents to receive 
His Spiritual Benediction. St. Matthew and 
St. Mark make use, in the Original, of a word 
which may also be applied to grown children; but 
that which is employed by St. Luke signifies 
babes in the strictest sense. — The imposition of 
hands had long been in use among the Jews, when 
invoking the aid of the Holy Spirit, by such as 
stood in any superior relation to children (see- 
Gen, xlviii. 14), or by persons who were esteemed 
©f peculiar sanctity (see Numb, xxvii. 18). Our 



own Church has justly insisted on this incident 
as a strong indication of our Lord's will respect- 
ing Infants, and encourages parents "to bring 
their children to Christ," nothing doubting that 
they can receive benefit by Him. The passage 
is formally introduced into our Baptismal Ser- 
vice ; and it seems to sanction, — as strongly as 
anything can, short of a positive command, — the 
custom (which has prevailed from the first intro- 
duction of Christianity) of admitting the children 
of believers into the Church by Baptism. The 
subsequent command to "baptize all nations" 
(Matt, xxviii. 1 9) under the New Dispensation, 
— a command given without any exception or 
limitation, — would naturally be regarded by the 
Apostles as applicable to all whom they had 
been accustomed to consider as the subjects of 
Circumcision under the patriarchal and Mosaic 
dispensation. Accordingly we find them baptiz- 
ing whole households. (Acts xvi. 15, 33 ; 1 Cor, 
i. 16.) See Section XXIII., Note 2, 



JESUS BLESSES LITTLE CHILDREN. 



261 



And He called them unto Him, took them up in His 
arms, and put His hands upon them, and blessed them. 
And ofterwaids He departed thence, as though sufficient 
had been done in that place when He had asserted the 
rights of the lambs of His flock. 



SECTION a 

Jesus replies to the rich young Ruler, who enquires what 

HE MUST DO TO INHERIT ETERNAL LlFE *. He TAKES THE SAME 

OCCASION TO WARN HlS DISCIPLES AGAINST CoVETOUSNESS 

ADDING THE PARABLE OF THE LABOURERS IN THE VlNEYARD. 

Matt. xix. 16—30; xx. 1—16. Mark x. 17—31. Luke xviii. 18—30. 



A 



ND when He was gone forth into the way on which He 
was travelling, there came one, — a certain ruler of 
considerable wealth, — who came eagerly running, for he 
was anxious to see and to learn of Jesus ; and he respect- 
fully kneeled to salute Him, and asked Him, saying, Good 
Master {Good Teacher), what good thing shall I do, that I 
may inherit eternal life ? 

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou Me good, 
— giving Me a title not due to any mere man ? dost thon 
indeed believe Me to be divine ? — -for remember there is 
none good but One, that is, God. But, in answer to thy 
question, if thou wilt enter into Life, keep the Command- 
ments 51 . (i) He saith unto Him, But which < 2) of the Com- 
mandments is of the most importance for attaining Eternal 
Life ? Jesus said, Thou knowest the Ten Commandments 
ivritien in the Law, for the confirmation of which I am 
come : all of them are obligatory and essential, even those of 
the Second Table: — such as, Thou shalt do no mur- 



a Ye shall therefore, 
keep My statutes and 
judgments, which if a 
man do he shall live in 
them. Lev. xviii. 5. 

If the wicked will turn 
from all his sins that he 
hath committed, and keep 
all My statutes, and do 
that which is lawful and 
right, he shall surely live, 
he shall not die. £zek. 
xviii. 21. 



( 1 ) If thou wilt enter into Life, keep the Com- 
mandments. ] This of course would be, by itself, 
a very incomplete statement, and would convey 
an incorrect description of Gospel truth. The 
Bible plainly teaehes in other places that no man 
can be saved by the works of the Law. At the 
same time it is true that if a man could perfectly 
comply with the requirements of the Law, he 
would be saved. Perfect obedience is the indis- 
pensable condition, if Salvation is not to be be- 
stowed as a gift, but claimed as a recompense of 
works. Our Lord saw fit to use this as the basis 
of His teaching on the present occasion; for 
" The Law is as a schoolmaster to bring us unto 
Christ" (Gal. iii. 24). It is certain that, under 
the Old Testament, all pious persons obtained 
their claim to life eternal by the observance of 
the moral precepts of the Law. 

( 2 ) He saith unto Him, Which ?] This ques- 
tion may have reference to the division which the 
Pharisees made of their precepts into weighty 
and light, moral and ceremonial. There was the 



Law of Circumcision, of Sacrifices, and of the 
Sabbath: they preferred the Ceremonial; but 
the young man might be puzzled with such nice 
distinctions. — Our Lord directs him not to the 
rites of the Law, but to the great duties of life, 
— the moral precepts. Those of the Second 
Table only may be here instanced, because they 
are the test of a man's sincerity, and in them hypo- 
crites mostly fail : also the sincere practice of our 
duty to our neighbour is a good sign of our love 
to God. — As to the order in which the Command- 
ments are given in the text, the Jews were not 
accustomed to preserve the regular order, either in 
reciting or writing them, and sometimes other equi- 
valent words were substituted. The tenth Com- 
mandment. "Thou shalt not covet," is here ren- 
dered by Matthew,"Thou shalt love thy neighbour 
as thyself," and by Mark, " Defraud not;" but 
the sum of the three phrases is, that a man should 
rest perfectly satisfied with his own lot, desiring 
also the good of others, and not wishing to gain 
anything to the injury of his neighbour. 



262 



THE RICH YOUNG RULER DECLINES THE DISCIPLESHIP. 



der; Thou shalt not commit adultery; Thou 

SHALT NOT STEAL ; THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE 

witness; Honour thy father and thy mother; 
anDj Defraud not, for Thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself {see Exod. xx. 12 — 17; Lev. 
xix. 18). Show that thy obedience is sincere, constant, and 
universal, by observing all these ; and then thou shalt live. 

b we S peak wisdom And the young man, who had been brought up in an 
feT^TrlT eper * easy and formal righteousness, and was blinded by his self 

— teaching every man j answered and said unto Him, Master, all these things 

in all wisdom, that we may ? " - 

present everv man perfect have I been taught already, and have observed them rrom my 
in Christ Jesus. Col. i. ^ h ( ^ ear i y years ) j What lack I yet {In what ami 

in^if e the Ct wiii TgocL further wanting) ? Dost Thou teach us any new command- 
Coi.iv. i2. ment? Then Jesus, beholding him, and perceiving in him the 

of aeTfcto seeds of virtue, loved (/df *mm% disposed towards) him : and 

Heb\TT t0 perfectiou ' when He heard these things, He determined to put his cha- 
1 si that ye have and ™cter to the test, and said unto him, Yet one thing thou 
give aims ; provide your- lackest even in thy practice, complete as thou thinkest it to be ; 
he™ tLTSiei U not! and I now require that one thing in order to constitute thee My 
LU Make ' to' yourselves disciple: if thou wilt be a perfect* Christian, prove at once 
friends of the mammon f ne universality of thy love to God and man, as well as thy 

of unrighteousness, that -■ 7 n r ; „ 

when ye fail, they may devoted obedience to Me : go thy way home, sell whatsoever 
Sg'taSti^ "tuke thou hast/ 3 >- f<* U is thy wealth ivhich is really the impedi- 
svi. 9. men t in thy road to Life,— and give to the poor f and thou 

And all that believed J . «,« i ,1 j. 1 ^ 

were together, and had shalt have treasure m heaven ; and then come, take up tne 
cross-make common cause with these My disciples in 
goods, and parted them to sprea dinq abroad the Gospel, and follow Me. d 

all men, as every man a 1 . . 7 • 2. 

had need. Acts ii. 44, 45. But when the young man heard that saying, — which 
rich h S ge tht e worid"that proved the true touchstone to his besetting sin of Covetous- 
they trust not in uncer- h d bei divided between two opinions; and 

tain riches ; that they do 5 3 & ci . * 

good, that they be rich in a t length went away very sorrowful, (4) for he was very rich, 
Sbute^wniing to y commu- and had great possessions, which he could not bring him- 

nicate. 1 Tim.vi. 17, 18. ^ f() 

d Ye believe in God, ^nd w ] ien J esus saw t h at h e was V eiy Sorrowful, He 

believe also m Me. John _ _. . TT , ,, 

xiv. 1. looked round about, and saith to His disciples, How hardly 



( 3 ) Sell whatsoever thou hast, <%c.~\ In that age | 
of persecution a renunciation of the world would 
be necessary to a personal attendance on Christ — 
especially with" such a man as this, who pretended 
to aim at acquiring the highest degree of goodness. 
Our Lord, therefore, is here speaking to the par- 
ticular case before Him ; and we are not to draw 
from His words the conclusion, that a renuncia- 
tion of property, or the vow of poverty, is the 
duty of the Christian: this indeed would be to 
throw up our stewardship before the time. That 
there were rich men from the first in the Church, 
we learn from 1 Tim. vi, 17 and James i, 10 ; ii. 
2. The apostles Matthew and John had homes 
of their own (Luke v. 29 ; John xix. 27), and 
St. Peter permits the Christian to retain what is 
his own (Acts v. 4). St. Paul " dwelt in his own 
hired house" at Rome (Acts xxviii. 30), and, in- 
stead of bidding the Corinthians sell all, he only 1 



j enjoins on them to give of their abundance (2 
Cor. viii. 13, 14). Therefore we are only to carry 
out the injunction in the text on the like occasions, 
viz., in case we had an express command from 
Godto do so, or when we find our possessions a real 
impediment to prosecuting our eternal interests. 

( 4 ) Went away very sorrowful.] He doubted, 
in fact, whether any thing future could replace 
the security he gave up by parting with his pro- 
perty. As he was evidently well disposed, he 
might on reflection be humbled and convinced by 
this conversation, so as afterwards to make the 
sacrifice of his great possessions ; but his hesita- 
tion and scruples forcibly show how much an 
attachment to the world will set at variance our 
principles and our practice. 

The Greek verb should not be rendered, "loved" 
him, in this passage. The Romans also made a 
1 distinction between diligo and amo. 



THE GREAT DANGER OF TRUSTING IN RICHES. 



263 



shall they that have an attachment to riches enter into the 
kingdom of God e [Verily, I say unto you, That a rich man 
shall hardly {will with difficulty) enter into the kingdom of 
heaven, Matt.] And the disciples were astonished at 
His words. But He answereth, and saith unto them again, 
Children, consider that Religion requires a heart abstracted 
from the world: this is at all times, but especially in this 
day of severe trial, difficult to accomplish ; and it is difficult 
for all persons: how hard then is it for them that trust in 
riches f and so forget their dependance on their Creator, to 
enter into the kingdom of heaven ! And again, I say unto 
you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a 
needle (5) , than for a rich man, so trusting in his riches, to 
enter into the kingdom of God. — And when His disciples 
heard it repeated and insisted upon so forcibly, they were 
exceedingly [out of measure, Mark] astonished; for 
they had thought that trials and temptations only befel the 
poor, and many of their company were expecting under the 
New Kingdom to become rich and great. They were saying 
therefore among themselves, Who then that ever happens 
to be rich can be saved ? But Jesus, looking upon them 
stedfastly, said unto them, With men (As far as regards 
the power of men) this is impossible, but not with God ; 
for all things, (even the things which are impossible with 
men), are possible with God:& (8) Human nature is corrupt 
and insufficient of itself, and no merely-human persuasions 
will ever draw off the heart from the world; but there is 
an Almighty energy in Divine Grace, which can enable a 
man to overcome every difficulty. 

Then Peter, with somewhat of self-complacency, an- 
swered as usual for the Twelve, and began to say unto Him, 
Lo, we have left all that we had, and have followed Thee : h 
What reward, therefore, shall we have? — And since the 
motives of Peter were substantially right, Jesus, overlooking 
their alloy, answered and said unto them, Verily I say 
unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the Rege- 
neration (7) (the final Restoration of all things in the future 



e Ye cannot serve God 
and Mammon. Matt. vi. 
24. 



* If I have made gold 
my hope, or have said to 
the fine gold, Thou art 
my confidence, — I should 
have denied the God that 
is above. Job xxxi. 24, 
28. 

He that trusteth in his 
riches shall fall. Prov. 
xi. 28. 

But they that will be 
rich fall into temptation, 
and a snare, and into ma- 
ny foolish and hurtful 
lusts, which drown men 
in destruction and perdi- 
tion. For the love of 
money is the root of all 
evil ; which, while some 
coveted, they have erred 
from the faith. 1 Tim. 
vi. 9, 10. 



S Is anything too hard 
for the Lord ? Gen. xviii. 
14. 

I know that Thou canst 
do everything. Job xlii. 2. 

For with God nothing 
shall be impossible. Luke 



h They were fishers . . . 
and He saith unto them, 
Follow Me. And they 
straightway left their nets 
and followed Him. Matt, 
iv. 18—20. 

They forsook all, and fol- 
lowed Him. Luke v. 11. 

What things were gain 
to me, those I counted 
loss for Christ Phil. iii. 
7. 



( 5 ) It is easier for a camel, cjrc.] The original 
expression, in some Versions, signifies a cable- 
rope, which yields a good sense ; but the common 
interpretation " a camel," is quite agreeable to 
the figurative style of Oriental nations : it is also 
supported by a passage in the Talmud, which 
speaks of "driving an elephant through the eye 
of a needle." — In the East, as it appears, the 
doors are made extremely low, — often not more 
than four feet in height, — to prevent the plunder- 
ing Arabs from riding into the inner court ; yet 
the camels are trained to make a passage on their 
knees through these doorways. There may be 
an allusion in the text to this practice. 

( 6 ) All things are possible with God.] A Ni- 
codemus, a Joseph of* Arimathea, a Joanna, and 



a Manaen, are proofs, that it was not impossible 
for the rich, even in an age of peculiar difficulty, 
to enter into the kingdom of heaven. But the 
experience of every age has abundantly shown 
that riches are a prolific root of evil ; that they 
have been, with the majority of mankind, an ir- 
resistible temptation, and have sometimes led to a 
practical idolatry. The cares they bring with 
them have a tendency to draw off the affections 
from their proper object, the Creator : hoarded, 
they beget covetousness ; enjoyed, they encou- 
rage that self-indulgence which is always fatal 
to spirituality. 

(7) In the Regeneration, $c, $c] No more 
seems to be intended here than a very distin- 
guished pre-eminence to the Apostles iu the . 



264 



THE LABOURERS IX THE VINEYARD. 



world) when the Son of man shall sit in [upon) the 
throne of His glory, ye also shall be exalted next to Him 
in dignity and power, and shall sit as it were upon twelve 

* she saith unto Him, thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 1 And rewards 
Gran !nS a U h ^ e P *2?Z are not destined for you alone : there is no man that hath 

sons may sit, the one on * f 

Thy right-hand, and^the left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or 
kingdom, Matt.'xx. 21.' wife, or children, or lands [who hath undergone the loss of 
any temporal advantage, or renounced those enjoyments ivhich 
possessions and kindred afford), for My Name J s sake and 
the Gosper's [for the kingdom of God^s sake. Luke], but 
he shall receive manifold more, — even an hundred-fold, — - 

* And Amaziah said to now in this present time : k namely, houses, and brethren . 
sh^we°d? 0 for^he hu?- and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands [more and 
^vento en tL W annVof a is e 9 reater earthly blessings shall he gain, through the support 
raei? And the man of of his Christian brethren, than he has parted with), but at 

God answered, The Lord , 7 ... . j • i • i in 

is able to give thee much the same time accompanied with persecutions, which shall 
xxv e 9 hantbds ' 2Chron ' yield him an increase of grace, the consolations of an 
The Lord gave Job upright conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost: 1 and 

twice as much as he had n 17 • i i . 7 77 , T 7 tj- 

before. Job xiii. io. finally* m the world to come, when all earthly relations 

i As the sufferings of shall cease, he shall inherit Eternal Life. m 
Christ abound in us, so ;g ut fef no f f ne p- r0 spect of reward beget presumption in 

our consolation also a- ■* r ■% 

boundeth by Christ. 2 any, since this is to be the issue of things under My Gospel : 
C °il 1 exceedin? joyful in many that are now first shall (will) notwithstanding all their 
ail our tribulation. "2 Cor. privileges be last .; and the last summoned shall (will) be ac- 
cepted fiist. — For the kingdom (the administration) of Heaven 

* Be thou faithful unto . , . , , , . , 

death, and I will give is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out 
theea crown of life. Rev. in the morn i ng to hire labourers into his vineyard. 

And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny 
(about seven pence halfpenny) a day, (8) he sent them into his 
vineyard. And he went out about the third hour (nine in 
the forenoon), and saw others standing idle in the market- 
place, and said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and 
whatsoever is right (the just and reasonable value of your 
labour), I will give you. And they went their way. Again 
he went out about the sixth and ninth hour (at noon and 
three in the afternoon), and did likewise. And about the 
eleventh hour (at five in the afternoon) he went out, and 



future world, and it is expressed in a manner 
suitable to their own prepossessions and the 
Judaical ideas then prevalent (see Matt. xx. 21 ; 
Luke xiv. 15). — Some would refer this confes- 
sedly-difficult passage to the Day of Judgment ; 
but, clearly, there will then be no assessors, and 
St. Paul speaks of himself as expecting future 
judgment, Rom. xiv. 10 ; 1 Cor. iv. 4. — The 
word " Regeneration," at the commencement of 
the passage, has also been ably interpreted of that 
New Age which was to commence with the 
establishment of the Christian Church, when 
Christ should ascend into heaven, and His Apos- 
tles should judge (or preside over) the twelve 
tribes, as the chief ministers in His kingdom. 
This view derives some support from St. Paul, who, 



| writing to the Corinthians, speaks of all things as 
having become 'new (2 Cor. v. 17), and says, ''that 
the saints shall judge the world''' (I Cor. vi. 2). 
In whichever way this promise of distinction 

I to the twelve Apostles be interpreted, it is no 
objection that Judas was then one of the persons 

I addressed ; for they were spoken to collectively, 

! as a body, and Matthias, who filled the traitor's 
place, would succeed to the promise. 

( 8 ) Agreed with the labourers for a penny a- 
day.'] It appears from Taeitus (Armal. i. 17)> 
that the Roman denarius was the usual price of 
a day's labour among that people, as well as 

| among the Jews. Provisions would, of course, 
be proportionably cheap. 



THE GOSPEL-CALL OBEYED BY FEW. 



0?ls BO ■ 



found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why 
stand ye here all the day idle ? They say unto him, 
Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go 
ye also into the vineyard, and whatosever is right, that 
shall ye receive. 

So when even {six o'clock) was come, the lord of the 
vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and 
give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 
And when they came that were hired the last — namely 
about the eleventh hour — they received every man, with- 
out distinction, a penny. But when the first came, ivho 
had been hired early in the morning, they, hearing of what 
had been given to the rest, supposed that they should have 
received more; and they likewise received every man a 
penny. And when they had received it, they ivere disposed 
to put it from them, and murmured against the good man 
of the house [the master of the establishment), saying, 
These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast 
made them equal in their remuneration unto us, which have 
borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered 
one of the foremost among them, and said, Friend, I 
do thee no wrong : didst thou not agree with me for a 
penny, and has it not been tendered to thee in payment ? 
take that which is thine, and go thy way quietly : I will 
give unto this man who entered the vineyard last, even as n H th ft 
much as unto thee. Is it not lawful and reasonable for me power ove^the ciayf^f 
to do what I will with mine own Is thine eye evil 0 ^LT^ulflE^f SI 

(dost thou look on with envy), because I am good and liberal another unto dishonour? 

J7 ±1 n „ iN \ . 6 Rom. ix. 21. 

to these poor men, thy fellow-labourers ? 

So [Even as in this Case) shall it happen Under the he not evil against thy poor 

Gospel dispensation ; the last shall {will) be first, and the brother - Deut - xv - 9 - 
first last :P the Gentiles, thouqh last called, will at once p Xt was necessary the 

r7 t . > „ _f \ _ j7 Word of God should first 

accept the gracious offer of salvation, ana shall share the have heen spoken to you ; 
like privileges with the Jews who have so long borne the fu^youLkes 
burden of the Ritual Law ; while these, the first-born of ^worthy of everlasting 

^ . - - y J J life, lo, we turn to th« 

God, murmuring and unbelieving, will be the last in God's Gentiles. Actsxhi. 46. 

esteem, and the last to accept of the blessings which He has thSrMch^^ke&foi^ 

vouchsafed. For many be called {invited to partake of the \^ e *^°l ^ 

Gospel), but few are approved and chosen. ( 10) were Winded. Rom. xi.7. 

_ ! 1 

,(S Jv .ioD J) ff V>Vtow sfo a\$»w\, einxca srft I s IS ,xx JisM oss) J.asixsvstcr norft ss&hi hsalshat. 

( 3 ) Is it not lawful for me to do what I icill 
with mine own?] Christ, " whose we are, and 
whom we serve," can bestow where He will 
those blessings which He has Himself purchased; 
and in every case they are bestowed of Free 
Grace, without anything in men to merit it. 
None can have a right to complain, though some 
may have more reason to magnify Divine Bounty. 
It should be noticed here, that the Gentiles 
came not in before, because not called before; 
and the labourers standing idle, who represent 
them, offer an ample excuse, " Because no 
man hath hired us." After their conversion, the 



Gentiles had their full share of hardships (see 
1 Thess. ii. 14), and they embraced the Gospel at 
their utmost peril. 

( 10 ) Many be calkd, but few chosen.] From 
this text, and some of the same class, has been 
drawn the dogma of the Election of a peculiar 
number of men to Eternal Life, without any regard 
to qualification. The Rejection of others, deduced 
from the same, seems to follow as a necessary 
consequence. "Many persons (writes Calvin, 
the well-known author of this system) acknow- 
ledge Election in such a way as to deny that 
any one is reprobated, but with extreme absur- 



266 



SECTION CL 

Jesus, on His last journey to Jerusalem with the Twelve, 
again predicts hls sufferings and death ; and, having 
occasion to rebuke the ambition of james and john, 
inculcates humility on all. 

Matt. xx. 17—28. Mark x. 32—45. Luke xviii. 31—34. 



a They delivered Him 
to Pontius Pilate the Go- 
vernor. Matt, xxvii. 2. 

b — a reproach of men 
and despised of the peo- 
ple : All they that see Me 
laugh Me to scorn. Ps. 
xxii. 6, 7. 

I gave My hack to the 
smiters .... I hid not My 
face from shame and 
spitting. Isa. 1. 6. 

c They pierced My 
hands and My feet. Psalm 
xxii. 16. 

He hath poured out 
His soul unto death ; and 
He was numbered with 
the transgressors. Isa. 
liii. 12. 

Messiah shall be cut 
off. Dan. ix. 26. 



AND they were in the way going up to Jerusalem to 
attend the approaching Passover: and Jesus went 
before {preceded) them ; and they were amazed at His thus 
voluntarily incurring danger, and, as they followed, they 
were afraid of what might happen to themselves. And He 
took unto Him the twelve disciples apart in the way [aside 
from others who followed), and began again to tell them 
what things should happen unto Him, and said unto 
them: Behold, we go up to Jerusalem for the last ^me,and 
then all things that are written by the Prophets concerning 
the Son of man shall be accomplished ; and He shall be 
betrayed by one of His own followers, and delivered up 
unto the chief priests and unto the scribes ; and they shall 
condemn Him to death, and shall then deliver Him to the 
Gentiles (the Romans)* for execution. And they shall 
mock and spitefully entreat Him, and shall scourge Him, 
and shall contemptuously spit upon Him, b and at last shall 
crucify (1 ) and kill Him c as a common malefactor and slave: 
and, notwithstanding all the malice of His enemies, on the 
third day He shall rise again triumphant from the grave. 



dity and childish weakness ; seeing that Election 
itself could not stand, unless it were opposed to 
Reprobation : whom God passes by, He repro- 
bates." Such views appear to annul, as it were, 
the conditions of the Gospel-Covenant — to divest 
God of "His attributes, and man of his faculties. 
They impose terms of Salvation even easier than 
those of the Church of Rome : for, to many, the 
seal of Election has proved as favourite a sanc- 
tion of unrepented sins as ever did Indulgences. 
Scripture plainly declares, that God is " no 
respecter of persons;" and all those passages 
which are cited, relative to Predestination and 
Election, are, when fairly taken with their con- 
text, applicable only to the situation of nations : 
they relate, as in this Parable, to God's design 
of calling the Gentile world to the knowledge of 
the Messiah. As the Jews were called " the 
Elect" under the Old Covenant, so are Christians 
under the New. With this key a plain coherent 
sense may be found to all the controverted pas- 
sages, without asserting antecedent and special 
decrees as to particular persons. We are all 
" called" by God, whether the call be obeyed or 
not ; but it is our part, and ours alone, to be 
" chosen." The subject should make all seri- 
ously consider, that it is not enough to be within 



the Visible Church of God, resting content with 
the possession of Church privileges; but we must 
individually "give all diligence to make our 
calling and election sure" (see 2 Peter i. 5 — 10). 

( J ) And shall crucify ffim.1 It seemed far 
more probable, humanly speaking, that instead 
of our Lord's death becoming a public and a 
national act, His enemies would have privately 
got rid of Him ; and such we learn was their 
intention (Matt. xxvi. 4, 5). It was also not 
unlikely that He would be stoned in a tumult, 
and when He was delivered back to the Jews by 
Pilate, with permission given them to judge 
Him according to their law, it is wonderful He 
did not actually meet this death. But it had 
been expressly foretold that He was to be mocked 
as a fool, scourged as an offender, spit upon as a 
blasphemer, and crucified as a criminal (see in 
the Margin). — The foreknowledge of His own 
sufferings was peculiar to our Lord, for we find 
the view of futurity concealed even from His 
most favoured servants and martyrs. This ap- 
pears from the case of Paul, who says, "I go 
unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that 
shall befall me there" (Acts xx. 22.) 
• 



THE AMBITION OF THE SONS OF ZEBEDEE REBUKED. 



267 



But the disciples were unwilling to believe that their 
Master could suffer such things, however plainly they had 
been foretold; for they could not reconcile them with their 
lingering notions of His temporal kingdom, and with the 
tradition they had received that the Messiah should not die. d d We have heard out 
And so they understood none of these things, and this L ™ T s *£a°BS| 

saying was hid from them, neither knew thev the things sa ^ est Thou > The Son of 

.... Jo man must hp. WW! .m' 



up. 



which were spoken. Johnxii. 34, 

Then an incident occurred, which evinced their frame of . « , 

J * e Salome, who when 

mind at this time : Salome, e the mother of Zebedee^s chil- He w as in Galilee, foi- 
dren/ W who was in constant attendance on the Lord, bearing mL Iviark x^To! 4i!° 
in mind the promise which had been made that His Apostles t JameS; the son of Ze _ 
should sit on twelve thrones, came to Him, with her sons J^ dee ' ^J d t /? bn 2 J ii! ' bro " 
J ames and J ohn, worshipping (kneeling to) Him, an d desiring 

i. ' ^' c XT' . -»/ , , , 6 9 They thought that 

a certain thing ot Him, saying, Master, we would that the kingdom of God should 
Thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And ™°^d y appear. Luke 
He said unto her, What wilt thou ? She saith unto Him, h T A , . , t . 

^ 7 5 h In the hand of the 

Crrant that these my two sons [He said unto them, What Lord there is a cup; and 

would ye that I should do for you ? They said unto Him, 2ne P ° p^wV^ the 

Grant unto us that we, Makk) may sit, as Thy chief ^ % 

ministers of state, the one on Thy right hand and the trembling, even the dregs 

other on Thy left, in Thy kingdoms [Thy glory, Mark]. SL^S^^Se drink 

But Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye know not il o g M v FaL^if'it be 

what is the nature of the distinction that ve ask : the possible, let this cup pass 

sy 7 . ,t . n <*i , from Me - Matt - xxvi. 39. 

Lrospet summons you to the sufferings of your Master, rather The cup which My 
than to any temporal honours; and the highest glory is to ^TnottX? John 
be the reward of the greatest endurance in My cause. Are xviii - n - 
ye able to drink of the cup h ^ of affliction that I shall 5 Thou hast afflicted Me 
drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am Sxvih. 7. hy Wave§ ' Ps * 
to be baptized with 1 (to be overwhelmed in the same sea of to U dee^ s L° ttfe^idS 
sufferings with Myself)? They, not understanding His of the seas: and tfie floods 

7 _o 77 n n 7 , , • , , , compassed me about : all 

words, or full of confidence in their own strength, say unto Thy billows and Thy 
Him, We are able. And Jesus saith unto them, Ye shall j ( £ e J.£ Med over me ' 
drink indeed of My cup, (4) the like bitter cup that I drink 1 have a b ap tism to be 

r ill i-i'Tii • /» i t baptized with, and how 

ot, and be baptized with the baptism of sorrow that I am am i straitened tm it be 
baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My a £ om P llshed - Lukexii - 



( 2 ) The mother of Zebedee's children.'] The 
husband of Salome was now probably dead : and, 
since he is previously described as having a boat 
of his own with hired servants (Mark i. 20), he 
may have left Salome in those competent circum- 
stances, which enabled her to give that faithful 
attendance on our Lord, elsewhere spoken of 
(see in the Margin). Her two sons were allied 
to Christ, and had repeatedly received marks of 
distinction from Him, which may have led to the 
present request. Though preferred through the 
medium of their mother, it came from themselves, 
as St. Mark represents ; and, indeed, that they 
were the principals is clear, for in both Evangelists 
our Lord's answer is addressed to them. 

( 3 ) To drink of the cup, fyc.~\ The word 
" cup,*' both in sacred and profane authors, sig- 



nifies the portion (whether of good or evil) which 
befalls men in this world. It was a frequent 
image with the Hebrews. — The metaphor of a 
similar kind which immediately follows this, viz. 
" to be baptized," &c, is not an allusion to 
Christian baptism, but is taken from a word sig- 
nifying to be plunged or immerged in troubled 
waters (see in the Margin : also Ps. xlii. 7 ; Ixix 
2; cxxiv. 4; Jer. xlvii. 2; Ezek. xxvi. 19). 

( 4 ) Ye shall drink indeed of My cup.~\ In 
accordance with this prediction, James was the 
first Apostle who suffered martyrdom (Acts 
xii. 2) ; and though his brother died a natural 
death at an advanced age, he had his share of 
those persecutions from which none of Christ's 
followers were exempt. He was imprisoned and 
scourged by order of the Council of Jerusalem 



268 HUMILITY, THE GLORY OF THE CHRISTIAN. 

left in the realms of glory, is not Mine to give, as 
Mediator only, or arbitrarily and by favour, but [it shall 
& Then shall the King be given] to them for whom, in reward of their faith and 
right Un hand, iem co°me ye obedience, it is prepared in conformity with the will of My 

blessed of My Father, in- p a f L^gj- k (5) 
herit the kingdom pre- 
pared for you from the And when the ten other Apostles heard it, they were 

foundation of the world. , , T n ivi , , -, -, 

Matt. xxv. 34. j_began to be, Mark] much displeased with the two bre- 

D e G c°aiied their Godf for" thren > James and John : the V thought it unreasonable that 
He hath prepared for these should press for the grant of a precedency to which all 
t em a city, e . xi. . ^ f nem aS pired, and all considered they had an equal claim. 

1 — neither as being lords -r». T • • .7 • j j • j ± ± -l 

over God s heritage. i -out J esus, perceiving this, ana desirous to root out such an 
Pet - v - 3 - ambitious and envious spirit from among His followers, called 

» if any man desire to them unto Him, and said unto them, Ye know that the 

be first, the same shall be , ' • ^ 

last of ail, and servant of Princes which [are accounted to] rule over the Gentiles, 
exercise dominion and lord it over them ; and their great 
nl that" serTeth. ^Luke ones ; govern under the princes, also exercise authority 
xx »- 27. upon them. But it shall not be so among you ( 6) in My 

If I then your Lord ..,,.'» ' \ , , 

and Master, have washed spiritual kingdom ; l but whosoever will be truly great among 

^h fe one y anoSerWeet vou > him De Y our minister (your servant) ; and whosoever 

J °He X took 1 u* on Him the w ^ c ^ e ^ an d mos ^ distinguished among you, let him 

form of a servant. Phu. be the servant (as the bond-slave) of all ; m for those 
who are first in My Kingdom are to consider themselves 

shall ^fstifymanyffor He ministers of universal good for their fellow-men, and the 

shall bear their iniqui- f me diqnity of the Christian is to arise more from the ser- 

ties. Isa. liii. 11. , , 77 7-77 

For as by one mans vice he does to others than the power which he may possess 

SellTekTV^e 0Ver them " F ° r eVen the S ° n ° f man > wll ° « ab ° Ve all > ° ame 

obedience of One shall not to b e ministered unto, but to minister 11 to others, and 

m an y be made righteous. . 

Rom. v. 19. jreely to give His life a ransom for many. 0 w 



(Acts v. 18 — 40,) and was afterwards banished 
to the Isle of Patmos. He says of himself, that 
he was " a companion in the tribulation of Jesus 
Christ" (Rev. i. 9). 

( 5 ) Is not Mine to give, <§-c.] That no defect 
in the power of Christ is here implied, any more 
than in the Father, is plain from Rev. iii. 21. — 
Neither is any interference with man's moral 
freedom to be argued from the preparation of Re- 
wards said to be made ; for as God knows each 
man's character, He cannot but foreknow what 
will be the issue as to his future state. It is only 
a want of fitness in the individual to receive, 
which precludes the giving of such rewards. It 
is clear that God cannot be false to His Word. 
In the Gospel Covenant, Eternal Life is pro- 
mised to such only as shall possess a certain cha- 
racter, or answer a certain description : it is not 
assigned to particular persons, but to a particular 
description of persons. So St. Paul says : — 
" God will render to every man according to his 
deeds ; to them who by patient continuance in 
well doing seek for glory and immortality, 
Eternal Life" (Rom. ii. 6, 7). And so the 17th 
Article of our Church : — " They are called by 
His Spirit working in due season ; they through 
Grace obey the calling ; they are made like the 
image of His Son ; they walk religiously in good 
works ; and at length, by God's mercy, they 
attain to everlasting felicity." — The words C£ it 
shall be given" do not occur in the Original 



of this passage, and they somewhat injure the 

sense. 

( 6 ) But it shall not be so among you.~\ There 
cannot here be any condemnation of Ecclesiastical 
Government, which is as needful to the welfare 
of the Church, as civil government is to a civil 
society. Among the gifts distributed for the use 
of the Church, we read of " governments" (1 Cor. 

xii. 28). The Apostles had their " rod" (1 Cor. 
iv.21), and " authority given of the Lord" (2 Cor. 
x. 8), "to revenge (or punish) all disobedience" 
(2 Cor. x. 6). Also we have mention of those 
who are "over us in the Lord" (1 Thess. v. 
12), and who are governors to whom we must 
yield obedience and " submit ourselves" (Heb. 

xiii. 7, 17). 

The plain lesson inculcated on this occasion 
is Christian humility, which is yet more in- 
cumbent on those who receive special marks of 
Divine favour. After the descent of the Holy 
Spirit, the Apostles never forgot this great Chris- 
tian virtue. St. Paul was an eminent example ; 
for though "in labours more abundant," and 
though he might have gloried "in visions and 
revelations of the Lord," he only " gloried in the 
things which concerned his infirmities," and 
esteemed himself " the least of all the Apostles, 
and not meet to be called an Apostle" (see 1 Cor. 
xv. 9; 2 Cor. xi. 30; xii. 1). 

( 7 ) To give His life a ransom for many.] Our 
Lord here speaks of His own death in the same 



269 



SECTION CIL 

Jesus restores the sight of Bar-timeus and another blind 
mendicant, on the further side of jericho ; and rests at 

THE HOUSE OF THE CONVERTED PUBLICAN ZACCHEUS, WHEN He 
RELATES THE PARABLE OF THE POUNDS. 

Matt. xx. 29—34. Mark x. 46—52. Luke xviii. 35—43 ; xix. 1—28. 

AND they came to the city of Jericho, (1) which lay 
fifteen miles east from Jerusalem. And Jesus entered 
and passed through. And as He went out with His 
disciples, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, 
it came to pass, that, before He had gone far on His road to 
Jerusalem, and as He was yet nigh unto Jericho/ 2 ) two 
blind men, — one of them well known there, named Bar- 
timeus [or the son of Timeus), — sat by the highway-side, 
begging. And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked 
what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of N azareth, 
the Great Prophet who has done so many miracles, passeth a The Lord hath sworn 
by. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, in the SfoTSy^ody Vm 
whose presence he had probably never before been, he began pg^xx^n 1117 throne " 
to cry out loudly, and say, Jesus, Thou Son of David/ whose God had sworn with 

sn n/r 7 an oath unto him, that of 

office, as Messiah, it is to give sight to the oli?ia,° have mercy the fruit of his loins, ac- 
onme\-And then they (both of the blind men together) 
cried out, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of sit on his throne - AcU 
David! '* fcH 

And the multitude [many which went before, Mark & an <i save you ....Then 
Luke] strictly charged them that they should hold their ^ u ey b e e s ° p f en £[ e bl ^ d 
peace ; but still they persevered and cried the more a great 4 > 5. 



Sacrificial terms that had been applied to the 
Sin Offerings of old. The force of the expres- 
sion "ransom," as conveying the idea of vica- 
rious substitution, is fully established when ap- 
plied in the New Testament to Christ ; whose 
death is expressly said to be a sacrifice for the 
sins of men, and is that true and substantial 
Sacrifice which the Law did but faintly and im- 
perfectly shadow forth. — "A ransom for many" 
should here be understood (with proper limita- 
tion of the sense) " a ransom for all," for so St. 
Paul literally writes (1 Tim. ii. 6). Compare 
also Dan. xii. 2, with John v. 28, 29 ; Rom. v. 
15, with 1 Cor. xv. 22 ; and Rom. v. 19, with 
v. 12. The prejudices of the Apostles, who 
before the Resurrection of their Master did not 
understand the universality of Redemption, 
might not as yet allow the use of the more ex- 
tended term. 

(1) Jericho.] See Section LXXXIL, Note 4. 

( 2 ) Nigh unto Jericho.~\ A liberty has been 
taken in this place with the Common Version, 
which makes St. Luke state that our Lord per- 
formed this mhmcle " as He was come nigh unto 
Jericho ;" but, in the opinion of the best critics, 
the original may be simply read " while fie was 



nigh unto Jericho." If the common English 
reading of that Evangelist is retained, it need 
not shake our faith in either of the narratives. 
These trifling discrepancies are common to all 
historians, and rather establish their honesty and 
agreement on important matters, for the cha- 
racter of genuine testimony is, substantial truth 
under circumstantial variety. So again, one 
blind beggar is here spoken of by two of the Evan- 
gelists, but they do not say that there was only 
one. St. Mark's account (which is rather the 
fullest) alone names Bar-timeus, probably be- 
cause this blind beggar was better known, either 
on his own account, or that of his father whose 
name is here also given ; indeed, it is not un- 
likely that Timeus had been a person of note in 
that neighbourhood, whose son, by a complica- 
tion of misfortune, had fallen both into poverty 
and blindness. That St. Mark's account was 
written under the immediate direction of a prin- 
cipal eye-witness, namely, the Apostle Peter, 
(and therefore more likely to be accurate in what- 
ever it precisely states, than that of St. Luke,) 
appears from its mentioning the minute circum- 
stance of Bar-timeus casting away his garment 
in his anxiety to reach Jesus. 



270 BAR-TIMEUS AND ANOTHER BLIND MAN RECEIVE SIGHT. 



c And behold, a woman deal, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou Son of 
sam^^S m and t0 cried David! 0 And Jesus, after intentionally passing by them, 
unto Him, saving, Have t d tfft d comman ded them to be called, and brought 

mercy on me, 0 Lord, 3 ' ° 

Thou Son of David. But unto Him ; which He did, that all might perceive, from their 
word anS Ind His disciples manner of walking up to Him, that they were really blind, 
^ g f^°0^ And tne Y cal1 the blind man > Bar-timeus, saying unto him, 
for ^she crieth^after us. as f ne y did also afterwards to the other, Be of good comfort, 
rise up, He calleth thee. And he, hastily casting away his 
mantle or outer garment, that it might not impede his pro- 
gress, rose up immediately and came to Jesus, — the other 
following soon after. And when he was come near, Jesus 
answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should 
do unto thee ? The blind man said unto Him, Lord, / 
pray that I might receive my sight. And the other being 
now come up, they say together, Lord, we entreat Thee, that 
our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on 
them, and touched their eyes; and, addressing each of 
them in turn, said unto him : Receive thy sight, and go 
on thy way ; thy faith hath made thee whole. And imme- 
diately their eyes received sight, and, no longer needing 
a guide, they followed Jesus in the way to Jerusalem, 
glorifying God for the mercy they had received. And all 
the people, when they saw it, gave praise also unto God. 

And as He proceeded on His journey, with the people 
from the city still following, behold, there was a man 
named Zaccheus, which was the chief among the publicans 
(the principal tax-gatherer) of that neighbourhood : and he 
was rich. (3) And he had often heard of Jesus, the report of 
whose miracles and doctrine had made some considerable 
impression on him : and he sought to see Jesus who He 
was (what sort of a person He was), and could not for the 
press of people about him, because he was little of stature. 
And he ran on before the rest, and climbed up into a 
sycamore (an Egyptian fig) tree to see Him ; for He was 
to pass that way. — And when Jesus came to the place 
* o Lord, Thou hast where the tree stood, He looked up^ and saw him, d and, 
^arched^me^d imown fa^wing what his wishes were, He called him by name and 
down-sitting and mine up- said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste and come down, for 

rising ; Thou understand- 1T -i • -i / 7 7 \ i -i aii i 

est mv thought afar off. to-day 1 must abide (lodge) at thy house. And he made 
l h d° mny?n7S, P and haste and came down, and received Him joyfully at a villa 
art acquainted with all wn i c h he had there, standinq a little further on apart from 

my ways. Ps. cxxxix. 9 * 

1—3. the city. 

And when they of the Pharisees who had followed Him, 



( 3 ) And he was rich.] Perhaps this circum- 
stance is particularly mentioned in contrast to 
the case which had so recently occurred of the 
rich young ruler (see Section C.) — to give a 
proof that " what is impossible with man" can be 
effected by Him who speaks to the well-disposed 
heart, and can turn it as He will. — The occupa- 



tion of Zaccheus of course gave great opportuni- 
ties of oppression and dishonesty ; and a chief 
publican had the power of arbitrarily dividing 
the assessment levied by the Romans among the 
inhabitants of his particular district, the revenues 
of which he farmed himself. 



THE CONVERSION OF ZACCHEUS. 271 

saw it, they all murmured, that, since He was willing to accept 
of hospitality, He should have selected the roof of the publican, 
saying, That He would defile Himself, and was gone to be 
a guest with a man that is a sinner. e And Zaccheus stood « And when the Pha- 
forth, and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, / repent the untoViTdildp^ why 
misdeeds of my past life: if I have taken anything from any ^ZT^ZZt? 
man by false accusation, or in any way oppressed a fellow- Matt. ix. 11. 
creature, I restore him f beyond the utmost demand of the t Then they shall con- 
Law, — even fourfold : (4 ) and as I cannot make restitution have^one^and^sS 
in every case, I will make what further amends I can to ^X^lno^iThS 8 
society ; the half therefore of my goods {of my whole in- and add unto it the fifth 

v T \ , j, , ,f, part thereof, and give it 

come) 1 give henceforth to the poor. unto him against whom 

And Jesus,— well knowing the hearts of all men, and ^ 6 umb h£ f 7 passed. 
perceiving that Zaccheus was sincere in this voluntary 
and public declaration which he had made, — said unto 
him (5) {or, concerning him to them that stood by), This day 
is Salvation come to this house (6) {to the master of 

this family and all his household), % forsomuch as he also, 8 — and himself believed, 

though he has been a sinner and is by his calling deemed }"k ni ^ 53 whole h ° USe ' 

unworthy, is now a true son of Abraham. h And gladly And Cmpus^ the chief 

have I come here to see and to converse with him ; for the believed on the Lord, with 

Son of man is purposely come to seek after and to save g lhisll0use - Act3X ™- 

that which was lost, and first of all " the lost sheep of the h _ to the end that the 

house of Israel" {Matt. X. 6; XV. 24). promise might be sure to 

... , , , , . , . 77 7 all the seed ; not to that 

And as they heard these things, ana drew wrong conclu- only which is of the Law, 
sions from this authoritative promise which He had made ^ rf*AbSm! 
of Salvation, He added and spake a Parable unto them. j*o » &e father of us ail. 
Indeed, it was necessary that He should at once remove all 
erroneous impressions from their minds, and rather warn 
them of their impending danger, because He was now 
drawing nigh to Jerusalem, the place of His sufferings, and 
because they thought that the kingdom of God should im- 
mediately appear — expecting that He ivould at once assume 
the sovereignty and declare Himself to be the Messiah. 



(*) I restore him fourfold.] The Mosaic Law 
required no more than restitution, with, the addi- 
tion of a fifth (Lev. vi. 5) in case that which had 
been taken by fraud or violence were voluntarily 
restored. When stolen property was found on the 
person, the trespasser was to restore double 
(Exod. xxii. 4) ; but if a sheep or ox were 
killed after being stolen, thus rendering discovery 
more difficult, the rigour of the Law demanded 
fourfold restitution (Exod. xxii 1 ; 2 Sam. xii. 6). 
By the Roman law an oppressive publican was 
obliged to restore fourfold, but that was only 
after conviction. And whereas offenders were 
only required to spend a fifth part of their in- 
come in charity, Zaccheus bequeaths half his 
estate to charitable uses. 

( 5 ) Said unto him.'] The Greek preposition 
here rendered "unto" also signifies "concern- 
ing;" but if the common rendering is preferred, 
the reader must understand our Lord to have 



turned to the by-standers, when in the aet of 
finishing the sentence. 

( 6 ) This day is Salvation come to this house.] 
It was the duty, and usually the practice, of the 
master of a family to convert his whole house to 
the faith he himself embraced. See other instances, 
Acts x. 2; xvi. 14, 15, 33, 34. The case of 
Zaccheus is a memorable one, showing us that 
a desire to be acquainted with the Gospel, and 
to observe its precepts, is a disposition not far 
from the Kingdom of God. When that king- 
dom was brought within his reach, he advanced 
to meet it, and became an example of the con- 
solatory truth that such a disposition will never 
be left unnoticed or unsatisfied. Antinomians, 
who quote the case of Zaccheus, forget that we 
have the highest possible proof of this publican's 
genuine Repentance in the Omniscience of Jesus; 
and that he gave the most genuine proof he could 
of true Conversion, in the two great articles of 
Justice and Mercy. 



272 



THE PARABLE OF THE POUNDS. 



He said therefore : — A certain nobleman^ went into a 
far country, on a visit to a more powerful potentate, to receive 
for himself a kingdom [a sovereignty), and when he had 
obtained the necessary confirmation of his title, to return. 
And before he departed, he called his ten sen-ants, and 
delivered unto them ten pounds, (8) — one pound to each 
serva?it, — and said unto them, Occupy (Use this money in 
trading) till I come back and reckon with you. But his 
citizens hated him, and sent a message (an embassy) after 
own H and C m s e own reed?. him > saying to the emperor who had the disposal of their 
ed Him not. John i. ii, kingdom, We will not have this man to reign over us. 1 

x\nd it came to pass, that when he was returned, having 
received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants 
to whom he had given the money to be called unto him, 
that he might know how much every man had gained by 
trading. Then came the first (he who had made the 
largest profit) saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten 
pounds. And he said unto him, Well done, thou good ser- 
vant : because thou hast been faithful in a very little matter, 
thy reward shall be proportionate to the improvement which 
thou hast made ; have thou authority under me over ten 
k He that is faithful in cities. k — And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound 

that which is least, is faith- -i.i • 1 r i a-ii • -: ti i - 

fui also in much. Luke hath gamed five pounds. And he said likewise to him, 

XV1 * 10, Be thou also ruler over five cities.^ 

And another came, impudently saying, Lord, behold, 
here is thy pound, which I have not risked in trade, but 
have kept safe laid up in a napkin : for I feared thee, 
because thou art an austere (a severe and hard-dealing) 
man : thou takest up that ivhich thou findest, and layedst 
not down ; and thou reapest the field that thou didst not 
sow: / feared, therefore, that I should never be able to 
improve thy pound to the extent thou wouldst expect: and 
that if I unfortunately lost the money in trading, thou 



(') A certain nobleman.'] This may bea. fictitious 
narrative, founded on the circumstance that the 
tributary kings of that age received their crowns 
from the Roman emperor ; but it bears a strong 
resemblance to the case of the late king Arche- 
laus, son of Herod the Great, during whose 
reign Joseph and Mary had fled with the infant 
Jesus into Egypt When the kingdom of Judea 
was left to him under bis father's will, he pro- 
ceeded to Rome to obtain a confirmation of his 
title ; and the Jews sent their complaints after 
him without success. Upon his return, he tyran- 
nized over them and took severe vengeance for a 
period of ten years : but upon a further complaint 
to Csesar they prevailed, and procured his banish- 
ment to Vienne, in GauL 

( 8 ) Pounds.] The mina, which is here trans- 
lated "pound," was equal to sixty shekels. Its 
value fluctuated (see Ezek. xlv. 12); but, accord- 
ing to the two common methods of calculating 
the shekel, the value of a pound would be either 
7L 10s., ot9L 



( 9 ) Be thou also over five cities.] This grada- 
tion of rewards is no doubt intended for our in- 
struction, and it tends to confinei the doctrine of 
Different Degrees of bliss in another life. The 
same is considered to be conveyed in the follow- 
ing texts : Matt. x. 15; xx. 23. Lukexii. 47, 48. 
1 Cor. xv. 41, 42. 2 Cor. ix. 6. — As a parable 
somewhat similar to this was afterwards delivered 
by our Lord on the Mount of Olives (Matt. xxv. 
14 — 30), the distinction between the two may 
here be noticed. In that the sums entrusted to 
the servants were unequal (signifying the several 
gifts of Intellectual capacity, Property, &c.) : but 
the improvement is the same, and the reward the 
same. Here the sums are the same (signifying 
the equal gifts of the Holy Spirit, and of God's 
general government) : but the improvement is 
different, and there is a proportionate difference 
in the reward. In both parables the Divine 
Justice is alike preserved. 



THE PARABLE OF THE POUNDS. 



2?3 



wouldst severely exact it of me again, by taking from me all 
that I have. 

And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I 
iudffe and condemn thee. 1 thou wicked (malignant) servant: Th ine own mouth 

JO . ' condemneth thee, and not 

thou knewest,— -for so thou hast audaciously presumed to say, 1 : yea, thine own lips tea- 
—that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, ^ 6 against thee ' Job 
and reaping that I did not sow: on thine own showing 
thou shouldest have made some effort to satisfy so strict a 
master, and not have deprived me of even the common profit 
which is my due : Wherefore then, for thine own safety 
and credit, gavest thou not my money into the bank, 
that at my coming home I might have required mine own 
from the public fund with usury (with interest) ? (10) — And 
he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the 
pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. And 
they said unto him, Lord, he hath already ten pounds. 
But he answered them, It is my will and pleasure that it be so: 
for I say unto you, That unto every one which improveth 
what he hath, shall more be given; and from him that 
hath not, so as to improve what has been bestowed already, 
even that he hath shall be taken away from him/ 11 ) This 
is the principle on which I intend to govern those who are 
subject to my rule : but those mine enemies which would 
not that I should reign over them, bring them hither, and 
slay them before me; m that all may learn henceforth the m The rulers take coun. 
duty of obedience and subjection to those powers which are Srd^aST agSt * His 
set over them by the ordinance of God. ^TrS 
Even so is Messiah to ascend to His Mediatorial Kingdom ™ on > Thou s ^ alt dash 

• t 7i* 7/«77 t • n n Tr- tt them in pieces like a pot- 

in heaven ; and, having vouchsafed the equal gifts of His Holy ter's vessel. Ps. ii. 2, 9. 
Spirit* to all who seek them, will return soon to reckon n The manifestation of 
with this generation : His faithful servants shall be amply tlnt^twiZT'i 
rewarded, but a most terrible vengeance shall overtake those Cor - ™- 7 
obstinate and unbelieving Jews i( who would not have Him to 
reign over them" — And that fearful reckoning will be but an 
emblem of the Great Day of Account ; when, " after a long 
time" the King shall come again in glory, to reward every 
good man according to his improvement of the trust com- 
mitted to him, and to punish the slothful and wicked in 
everlasting fire. 

And when He had thus spoken, He went on before (in 
advance of) the rest, ascending up to Jerusalem — thus 
shewing them His willingness to meet the dreadful trials and 
sufferings which awaited Him there. 



( 10 ) With usury.'] The original word only 
imports what is produced by money, and signifies 
no more than "interest." But if it were taken 
in the worst sense ever ascribed to usury, no ap- 
probation on the part of our Lord is here implied. 
The Mosaic prohibition was clearly a political 
and not a moral precept, for commerce was pre- 



vented and mortgages discouraged by the inde- 
feasible right which every man had to his land; 
but the Israelites were allowed to take interest 
from strangers. 

( n ) Unto every one which hath, &cA See Sec- 
tion L., Note 4. ^ 



T 



SECTION cm. 



Jesus arrives at Bethany six days before the Passover, An 
entertainment is given at the house of slmon the leper; 
at which Lazarus is present, and Mary anoints the Lord's 
head and feet. 

Matt. xxvi. 6—13. Mark xiv. 3—9. John xi. 55 — 57; xii. 1 — 11. 

AND the Jews' Passover was now nigh at hand ; and 
many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before 
* The a th" 11 t00 t k ^ he tne P ass °ver to purify themselves a (1) for the feast. Then 
purifying himself with sought they for Jesus, and spake thus among themselves. 
IpieJ^gtify^e £ as they stood in the Temple, What think ye? suppose ye 
complement of the days t h at jj e not come to t h e f eas t ? — Now they wondered 

of purification, until that " 

an offering should be of- whether he would venture to shoiv Himself, for both the 

fered for every one of them. r • p , j &u tvl i, J j 

Actsxxi. 26. chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command- 

ment, that, if any man knew where He were, he should 
show it to them, that they might take Him. 

Then Jesus, six days before the Passover, came to 
Bethany, where Lazarus, which had been dead, and whom 
He had raised from the dead, was still residing. Now 
when Jesus was yet in Bethany, in the house of Simon 
who was called the leper, for he had been formerly afflicted 
with leprosy, there they made him a supper; and Martha, 
noted among her neighbours as a diligent housewife, served W 
as hostess for Simon, and waited on Jesus : but Lazarus 
was one of them that sat at the table with Him. Then 
Mary, the other sister, took an alabaster-box {a stone 
vessel) which held a pound of liquid ointment of spikenard, (3) 
very costly, for it was of the purest sort ; and she brake 
the cement which sealed the box, and poured it on His head 
as He sat at meat : and she anointed also the feet of Jesus, 
and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was 
filled with the fragrant odour of the ointment. 

But when His disciples saw it, there were some that 
had indignation within themselves at what Mary had 
done, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment 
made? And they murmured against her. Then saith 



(}) To purify themselves.} This would be 
needful for many. Those who had entered on 
the vow of Nazarites usually managed that it's 
obligation should conclude at one of the feasts ; 
and sinners were always allowed to defer the 
sacrifices for their sins till the next passover. 

( 2 ) And Martha served.'] There is a tradition 
that Martha was the daughter of Simon ; but if 
there was no other connexion, she might perform 
the part of a kind neighbour. Simon had pro- 
bably been healed by Christ, and it is not impos- 
sible that he was the grateful and converted leper 
healed in Samaria. Luke xvii. 15. 

( 3 ) Ointment of spikenard.'] The Nard was a 



shrub with delicious smell, having ears or spikes 
like corn. It was mixed up with oil and other 
aromatics, and sealed up in stone flasks. Pliny 
states that it was often adulterated. It is also 
mentioned by Tibullus and others. — Such an 
ointment is still prepared in India, from the 
essential oil of a species of grass of the. highest 
fragrancy. It should be noticed that some un- 
derstand the words rendered "she brake the 
box," as if Mary had shaken the ingredients of 
the ointment contained in the vessel, thus dif- 
fusing the fragrance more strongly. — The esti- 
mated value of the ointment {more than three 
hundred pence) would be nearly 10/. 



JESUS IS ANOINTED BY MARY AT BETHANY. 



275 



one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which 
should (who was about to) betray Him, Why was not 
this ointment sold? for certainly it might have been 
sold for much, even for more than three hundred pence, 
and the proceeds given to the poor. This he said, not 
that he at Scared for the poor, but because he was a b Some of them thought 

, , „ • . . . . ,. , - , u f. 7 • because Judas had the bag, 

thief,( 4) and had in his charge the bag D {their common that Jesus had said unto 
purse), and bare (carried away, Gr.) what was put therein : J£* ^vTneedTf 
and thus, if the ointment had been converted into money, he against the feast; or, that 

. ,. he should give something 

could have appropriated a portion to his own use. to the poor. John xiii. 29. 

When Jesus understood it (knew of this dissatisfac- 
tion), He said unto them, Why trouble (disturb) ye the 
woman ? let her alone ; for she hath wrought a good work 
upon Me (hath done Me a charitable and pious office). For 
ye have the poor always with you, c and whensoever ye c The poor shall never 

•11 i ji i l i nf i i_ 1 a\ cease out of the land. 

will, ye may do them good : but Me ye have not always. (5J Deu t. xv. 11. 

Against the day of My burial hath she kept this, and it is 

as a tribute of reverence for the dead. A generous heart is 

never sparing, and she hath done what she could : for in 

that she hath poured this ointment on My body, she is 

come afore-hand, — unconscious of the purpose herself, but 

under the direction of Divine Providence, — to anoint My 

body to the burying \to anticipate the embalming of it for 

My approaching burial, Matt.]. Nor shall her devotion 

be lost ; for verily I say unto you, wheresoever this Gospel 

shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also 

that this woman hath done, shall be honourably spoken of d \% ood n T e is h . ei - 

i ter than precious oint- 

for a memorial of her d (6 ) to all future ages. ment. Eccies. vii. 1. 

Now Bethany was near to Jerusalem, and many who 
attended the Passover had already arrived at the city for 
the previous Purification. Much people of the Jews, 
therefore, knew that He was there : and they came over- — 



( 4 ) Because he was a thief. ] The case of 
Judas shows that sometimes evil men have 
authority in the church ; and that inward holi- 
ness is not absolutely necessary to render the 
sacred offices belonging to the ministerial function 
valid and effectual. Judas was sent out to preach 
the Gospel, to heal diseases, and cast out devils ; 
nor was he excepted when Jesus said " He that 
receiveth you, receiveth Me." Our Church, in her 
26th Article, declares that the effect of Christ's 
ordinance is not taken away by the unworthiness 
or wickedness of ministers ; that they minister 
not in their own name, but in Christ's ; and that 
the Sacraments are, when rightly received, effec- 
tual because of His institution and promise, "al- 
though they be ministered by evil men." — Judas 
was not the son of this Simon. On his general 
character, see Section CXV., Note 2. 

( 5 ) Me ye have not always.] This intimation 
of our Lord that He should not continue present, 
bodily, among men, seems alone sufficient to over- 
throw the Romish doctrine of Transubstantiation. 

( 6 ) Shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. ] 
We gather from this incident that the obligation of 



charity to the poor is not to preclude acts of libe- 
rality on other fitting occasions — such as, aiding 
in the diffusion of religious education, the build- 
ing and adorning of churches, honouring good 
men by appropriate testimonials, and the like. 

A principle is also here involved, namely the 
Love of Reputation, which exercises no mean 
power over the natural heart. The desire of 
handing down a name to posterity was no doubt 
originally implanted in man by his Maker ; but 
the principle would then be purely a desire to 
be " remembered for good,'''' — to promote the 
Creator's glory by working good to His creatures. 
Our Lord on a former occasion (John v. 44), did 
not condemn seeking honour and approbation 
from men ; but He declared that the desire of 
God's approval was to stand first, and be the ruling 
principle. On the present occasion the act which 
was lauded, and- which was to descend so honour- 
ably to posterity, was a simple act of self-sacri- 
fice, faith, and love. Thus the Gospel drives out 
all ambition and the love of self, and by modifying 
and directing the thirst of praise to proper objects, 
robs it of all its power to defile or degrade. 

T 2 



276 THE JEWS GO OVER TO BETHANY TO SEE JESUS AND LAZARUS. 



not hoivever for Jesus 5 sake only, but also that they might 
see Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead. But the 
chief priests, full of envy and animosity against all who 
were in any way connected with Jesus, consulted that they 
might put Lazarus also to death ; because that, by reason 
Jews which came to°Mary| °f mm an d ^ e wonderful miracle wrought on his behalf 
and had seen the things man y G f the Jews went awav ( withdrew from their teach- 

which Jesus did, believed . 

oa Him. John xi. 45. ing), and believed on Jesus. 6 



SECTION CIV. 

Jesus enters Jerusalem in triumph, riding, as had been pre- 
dicted, ON THE FOAL OF AN ASS. He WEEPS OVER THE CITY, 
AND TAKES POSSESSION OF HlS TEMPLE. 

Matt, xxi. 1 — 11, 14—17. Mark xi. 1—11. Luke xix. 29—44. 
John xii. 12 — 19. 

AND it came to pass on the next day, — being the.first 
day of the last eventful week of the Saviour's Pas- 
sion, — when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were 
come to the vicinity of Bethphage and Bethany/ 1 ) even unto 
the Mount of Olives which stood eastward of the city, then 
sent Jesus two of His disciples, saying unto them, Go 
your way into the village (Bethphage) over against you ; 
and straightway, as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall 
find an ass tied to a door, and a colt tied with her 
whereon man never yet sat, for the foal has been reserved 
for sacred uses ; loose him, and bring him hither unto Me. 
And if any man shall object, and say unto you, Why do ye 
loose him ? ye shall say thus unto him, Because the Lord 
hath need of him : and straightway, on hearing that, he 
will send him hither. 

And the disciples that were sent went their way, and 
found even as He had said unto them ; namely, the colt tied 
with its dam by the door without; and this was in a. public 
place where two ways met : and they begin to loose him as 
Jesus commanded them. And as they were loosing the 
colt, the owners thereof [certain of them that stood there, 
Mark] said unto them, What do ye (What are you about)? 



(*) Bethphage and Bethany.] Bethphage de- 
notes "the place of figs;" Bethany, "the place 
of palms," which trees appear, from John xii. 13, 
to have abounded there. These villages were con- 
tiguous, but Bethphage was nearest to the city, — 
being, in fact, its eastern suburb, and reaching in 
a long scattered street towards the Mount of 
Olives which adjoined it. It was chiefly occu- 
pied by the priests. 

( 2 ) Ye shall find an ass tied, ftc.] In the 



minuteness of the matters here predicted we 
have a remarkable proof of our Lord's Pre- 
science. Thus, 1st, it is said, Ye shall find a 
colt tied with an ass ; 2nd, A colt, on which never 
man yet sat ; 3rd, As ye enter into the village ; 
4th, The owners will be unwilling that you should 
unbind him, but when they hear the Lord has 
need of him, they will let him go. It is pro- 
bable that the owners of these annuals knew Jesus 
by reputation. 



JESUS RIDES, ACCORDING TO THE PREDICTION, ON THE FOAL OF AN ASS. 277 



why loose ye the colt, which belongs not to you? And 
they said unto them, even as Jesus had commanded, The 
Lord hath need of him. And when they heard that, they 
were satisfied, and let them both go. 

And they brought the colt and the ass to Jesus, and 
cast their loose outer garments on them ; and, though the 
colt was unbroken, they set Jesus thereon, and at once, 
by the influence of His volition, it became perfectly tractable 
and gentle. And as He sat on the young ass, and went on 
His way toward the city, where He had resolved to make 
a public entry, many [a very great multitude, Matt.] 
spread their garments in the way, a (3) and others cut dow 



R Then they hasted, and 
took every man his gar- 
ment, and put it imder 

the smaller branches from off the trees and strewed them him on the top of the 

stairs, and blew with trum- 
pets, saying Jehu is king, 
2 Kings ix. 13. 



in the way, — which custom was only observed on the trium- 
phant entrance of a prince or conqueror* 

All this was done that it might be exactly fulfilled 
which was spoken four centuries before by the prophet 
Zechariah, saying, as it is there written: — Tell ye to 
Jerusalem, the daughter of Sion, (4) Fear not (Hence- 
forth fear nothing) : behold thy King, the long-expected 
Messiah, cometh unto thee; 13 not with vain earthly 
pomp, but, in token of His mild and peaceful government, 
meek, and sitting upon an ass/ 5 ) — even a colt the 
foal of an ass (see Zech. ix. 9). These things under- 
stood not His disciples at the first as having been predicted 
of their Master : but when Jesus was glorified in heaven, 
and had shed on them the Spirit of Truth and Illumination, 
then remembered they 0 that these things were written of 
Him as the Messiah, and that they had themselves, as 
instruments under Divine Providence, done these things unto J 0UI remembrance, what- 

- _. . 7 soever I have said unto 

Him, exactly as it had been predicted. vou. John xiv. 26. 

And when He was come nigh to the city, and was even 
now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, much people 
that were come up to the feast, when they heard that 
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm- 



: 



b Say ye to the daugh- 
ter of Sion, Behold tny 
Salvation cometh ! Isa. 
brii. 11. 



e The Comforter, which, 
is the Holy Ghost, He 
shall teach you all things, 
nd bring all things to 



( 3 ) Spread their garments in the way, §c. ] This 
was done at the proclamation of the Jewish 
kings ; and cases are cited of the same custom hi 
other countries. Plutarch relates, that when 
Cato left his soldiers to return to Rome, " they 
laid their garments in xhe way, — an honour then 
done only to few emperors." When Xerxes 
crossed the Hellespont, Herodotus records (lib. 
vii., cap. 56), that they "strewed the way with 
myrtle branches." 

( 4 ) The daughter of Sion.] This poetical 
manner of personifying cities and countries was 
farniliar with the Prophets. Jerusalem might 
aptly be called the daughter of Sion, being situ- 
ated at the foot, and, as it were, under the wing of 
that fortified mount. 

( 5 ) Sitting upon an ass.~\ We are not to sup- 
pose there was any thing mean in this circum- 
stance. In the East the ass excites none of 
that contempt, with which the animal is associ- 



ated in our minds : there it is a much finer 
animal, and is still used by persons of distinc- 
tion. That it was used by the patriarchs and 
judges of the Jewish nation, appears from Gen. 
xxii. 3 ; Exod. iv. 20 ; Judg. v. 10. — But it was 
with peculiar propriety that Jesus, in His most 
public triumph, chose, according to Zechariah's 
prediction, to ride upon an ass. The removal of 
that warlike animal the horse, is spoken of by the 
same prophet (Zech. ix. 10) as a matter of pro- 
mise in the days of the Messiah. See also Hos. 
i. 7 ; Mia t. 10. To keep the children of Israel 
more dependant on Himself, God had forbidden 
horses to be used, Deut xvii. 16. David there- 
fore rode on a mule, and ordered Solomon to do 
so on his coronation day, 1 Kings i. 33, 38. 
When Solomon and succeeding kings multiplied 
horses, we find them rebuked by the prophets, 
and even punished for so doingj Isa. ii. 6, 7 ; 
Hos. xiv. 3. 



278 JESUS, ACCOMPANIED BY A GREAT MULTITUDE, PROCEEDS TO THE CITY, 



* Ye shall take you trees,* 3 — the recognized symbols of peace and joy, which 
l 0 ^LfoT°^Zl they used at their feast of Tabernacles in anticipation 
Lev. xxiii 40 of the Messiah, — and went forth to meet Him, and cried, 

I beheld, and lo a great <> * _ ' 

multitude stood before the Hosanna (God save and prosper Him)! Blessed is [be) 
tSlJSU£*S: the King of Israel, that cometh in the name of the 

robes, and palms in their T^q^cI j e 
hands. Rev. vii. 9. 

The people, therefore, that accompanied Him from 
Thee,'o Lord: o Lord. Bethphage, and that were also with Him when He called 
SLS be°L P S e cS: Mth Lazarus out of his grave and raised him after four 
eth in the name of the ^ a y S f r0 m the dead, bare record (testified) of this fact to 

Lord. Ps. cxviii. 25, 26. * 7 . _ _ , 7 ., 

the strangers now arrived from the city : indeed for this 
cause the people from thence also met Him, for that they 
had heard already that He had done this amazing miracle. 
And now the whole multitude of the disciples, — both they 
that went before and that followed, — began to rejoice 
together, and to praise God with a loud voice for all the 
mighty works that they had formerly seen done by Him : 
and cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David ! Blessed 
be the long-expected King, He that Cometh in the name 
of the Lord. May there be peace in heaven and glory 
to God in the highest heavens. Blessed too be the glorious 
and long-promised Kingdom of our father David, that 
cometh to us in the name of the Lord to deliver us from 
all our enemies. Hosanna in the highest heavens ! 

And some of the Pharisees, who had been mixing with 
the crowd as spies, said unto Him from among the multi- 
tude, Master, rebuke thy disciples ; for such acclamations 
of divine honour cannot be right, and they might lead to a 
tumult. And He answered and said unto them, It cannot 
be otherwise than it is: I tell you that if these people 
should hold their peace, and refuse to own Me as their 
King, a miracle would not be wanting to proclaim that truth 

* The stone shall cry —yea, as the Prophet has said, the very stones would 
out of the wail. Hab. ii. i mme diately cry out! f < 6 > The Pharisees therefore, thus 

publicly rebuked, said among themselves, Perceive ye how, 
in spite of all opposition, ye prevail nothing ? Behold the 
whole world is gone after him. 

And when He was come near Jerusalem, He beheld 
the magnificent city spread beneath Him ; and forgetting 
every consideration of self, wept over it, saying, If thou 
hadst but known and considered, — even thou, stained though 
thou art with sacred blood, — at least in this thy latest 
day of grace and trial, the momentous things which belong 
unto thy peace ! But alas ! now it is too late : the door of 
Mercy is about to be closed, and through thine own obstinacy 
they are hid for ever from thine eyes ! For the days shall 



( 6 ) The stones would immediately cry out."] This was a proverbial expression. So in Ovid, 
" Tutus eas ; lapis iste prius tua furta loquetur !" 



AND THERE TAKES POSSESSION OF HIS TEMPLE. 



279 



soon come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench 
(a rampart) about thee/ 7 ) and compass thee round, and 
keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the 
ground, s and thy children shall be buried in the ruins within 
thee; and they shall not leave in thee so much as one 
stone upon another : h because thou knewest not (consi- 
deredst not) the mercifal time of thy visitation. 

And in the manner which has been described Jesus 
entered into Jerusalem. And when He was come there, 
all the city was moved (was in commotion), saying, Who is 
this ? And the multitude said, This is Jesus, the Great 
expected Prophet , (8 > of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus 
went at once into the Temple. And the blind and the 
lame, as soon as they heard of His arrival, came to Him 
in the Temple, and He healed them before the multitude. 
And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful 
things that He did, and noticed even the children, who had 
caught up the acclamation of the people, crying in the Temple, 
and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David ! they were sore 
displeased, and said unto Him, Hearest thou what these 
ignorant creatures say ? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea, 
/ hear it, and it is the fulfilment of the Psalmist's prophecy. 
Have ye never read those words, Out of the mouth 

OP BABES AND SUCKLINGS THOU HAST PERFECTED 

praise ? (9) (See Ps. viii. 2). Justly do these rebuke your 
silence, who from age and understanding ought to have been 
among the first to receive and acknowledge the Messiah. 

And when He had looked round about (had made His 
observations) upon all things 1 in the Temple, — intending, as 
the market was over for that day, to correct on the following 
morning those abuses which He saw, — and now that the 
eventide was come, He left them (the multitude), and lest 
they should attempt to make Him King, went out of the city 
unto Bethany with the Twelve. And thai night He lodged 
there. 



« I will camp against 
thee round about, and will 
lay siege against thee with 
a mount, and I will raise 
forts against thee: and 
thou shalt he brought 
down. Isa. xxix. 3, 4. 

k Seventy weeks are 
determined upon thy peo- 
ple and upon thy holy 
city, to finish the trans- 
gression, and to make an 
end of sins, and to make 
reconciliation for iniquity, 
and to bring in everlasting 
righteousness, and to seal 
up the vision and Pro- 
phecy, and to anoint the 

Most Holy After 

threescore and two weeks 
shall Messiah be cut off: 
And the people of the 
Prince that shall come, 
shall destroy the City 
and the Sanctuary; and 
unto the end of the War, 
desolations are determined. 
Dan. ix. 24, 26. 

Therefore shall Zion, 
for your sake, be ploughed 
as a field, and Jerusalem 
shall become heaps. Mic. 
hi. 12. 



* And it shall come to 
pass at that time, that I 
will search Jerusalem with 
candles. Zeph. i. 12. 



(7) Shall cast a trench about thee.] The event 
corresponded, most minutely with this prophecy. 
The Roman general, Titus, in order to cut off 
from the besieged all hope of safety by flight, 
encompassed the city with a trench or rampart 
almost five miles in circumference. Thus were 
the Jews literally hemmed in on every side. Jose- 
phus declares, that the soldiers (who performed 
this most laborious work in three days) seemed 
animated by a divine impetus ; and that at last 
they so levelled the city, (even digging up its 
foundations, see Section CXIL, Note 2,) that 
they who had not seen it before, would not believe 
that it had ever been inhabited ! — See the His- 
tory of the Jewish War by Josephus, particu- 
larly the sixth book. Also Socrates, Hist. Eccles. 
lib. 3. 



( 8 ) Jesus the Prophet.] The article here is 
emphatic. Jesus was not only a prophet sent 
from God, but He was that special and predicted 
Prophet, the principal events of whose life had 
been so accurately typified or expressly foretold 
in the Law and the Prophets. See Section LXL, 
Note 13. 

( 9 ) Thou hast perfected praise.] In other 
words, " Thou hast caused Thy praise to be set 
forth in the most perfect manner." The exact 
words of the Psalm, corresponding to these, are, 
" Thou hast ordained (or constituted) strength." 
The sense is the same : the divine perfections are 
the strength of God, and the ground of all the 
praise offered to Him by His creatures. It ap- 
pears from the Talmud that Jewish children were 
taught by their parents to repeat this Psalm. 



280 



SECTION CV. 

Jesus condemns the unfruitful fig-tree; and again purifies 
the Temple. Certain Greeks desire an interview with 
Him. 

Matt. xxi. 12, 13, 18, 19. Mark xi. 12—19. Luke xix. 45—48. 
John xii. 20 — 36. 



A' 



ND on the morrow, being the second day of the week, 
when they were come from Bethany, as He returned in 
the morning into the city, He was hungry. And in the way 
seeing a fig-tree afar off, having leaves, He came to it to 
ascertain if haply he might find thereon any thing (1 > to eat, 
—though it might not as yet be quite ripe ; for the time of ga- 
thering figs was not yet. And when He came to it, He found 
nothing thereon, but leaves only. And Jesus answered 
and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee [No man eat 
That ^ h ! ch ^ earet i* fruit of thee, Mark] henceforward for ever! a And His 

thorns and briers is nigh . . . J 

unto cursing: whose en4 disciples heard it. And presently the fig-tree withered 
8. ° e urne ' e ' Y1 " (began to wither) away — an emblem of the curse of God soon 
about to fall on the Jewish nation, which in its time of 
fruits had produced none. 

And they come to Jerusalem. And Jesus went into 
the Temple of God ; and, as at the first Passover after His 
baptism, He began to cast out all them that, under pre- 
tence of accommodating such as had offerings to make, bought 
and sold in the court of the Temple appropriated to the 
Gentiles. And He overthrew the counting-tables of the 
money-changers, and the seats of them that sold doves to 
the poorer worshippers ; and would not suffer that any man 
should carry any common vessel or other burden through the 
Temple, — so as to make a thoroughfare of its sacred precincts. 
And He taught, saying unto them, My House is, and it 

cane^anSrofPmyer is written in the book °f tJie Prophet Isaiah* that it shall 
for ail people, isa. ivi. 7. be called, the House of Prayer of all nations (2) (for all the 



Q) If haply He might find thereon any thing. 1 
In Judea the leaves of the fig-tree precede its 
fruit, which commonly ripens in June, but earlier 
with the more vigorous trees, especially after a 
mild winter. The figs could be eaten to allay 
hunger before they were ripe. — It has been asked, 
Why our Lord, being Omniscient, went up to this 
tree to ascertain if it bore any fruit. The an- 
swer is, that He was in the habit of speaking and 
acting as a man in the presence of others, when 
there was no special and sufficient reason why He 
should act otherwise. The destruction of this 
tree has been cavilled at ; but it was already bar- 
ren and useless, and, as it grew on the high road, 
was not private property. After prefiguring His 
eternal mercies by numberless miracles for the 



good of mankind, He expressed the severity of 
His judgments on the wicked by one single sign 
inflicted on a senseless tree. It served a most 
important end as a warning to the Jewish nation, 
and indeed to all future ages. For, from each of 
us God expects not leaves merely, — not show, 
but fruit: if there is pretension without perform- 
ance, knowledge without practice, we too must be 
cut off! 

( 2 ) My House shall be called the House of 
Prayer of all nations. ] This is a very remark- 
able passage. St. John notices the first purifi- 
cation of the Temple by our Lord, during the 
first Passover which He attended (see Sect. 
XXII.) ; and the same act at the close of His 
Ministry is here specially recorded by the other 



CERTAIN GREEKS DESIRE TO SEE JESUS. 



281 



Gentiles) ; but ye have verified the complaint of the Prophet 
Jeremiahf and have made it by your extortions a den of 
thieves. 

And the Scribes and Pharisees and the chief of the peo- 
ple heard it, and were indignant; for although such traffic 
was forbidden by the Law, they had themselves ; in contempt 
of the Gentiles, connived at it ; and they sought how they 
might secretly destroy Him, and could not find out what 
they might with safety do ; for they feared Him, and dared 
not do anything openly, because all the people were aston- 
ished at His doctrine, d and were very attentive (hung upon 
Him, Gr.) to hear Him. 

And He now taught daily in the Temple. And there 
were certain Greeks e (3) among them that came up to 
worship at the feast ; f for these Gentiles acknowledged 
the God of Israel, and were proselytes of the gate, though 
still uncircumcised. The same came therefore to Philip, 
which was of Bethsaida of Galilee and so from their own 
neighbourhood of Syrophenicia, and desired him, saying, 
Sir, we would see {we wish for an interview with) Jesus. 
Philip, doubting what to do, cometh and telleth Andrew, 
who was also from that part of the country ; and again, 
Andrew and Philip, after consulting together, tell Jesus. 

And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come 
{The time is at hand) that the Son of man should be glori- 
fied (4) by the accession of the Gentiles to the Church, when 
all will share in the desire of these Greeks to see and 
know Me. But My death must be accessory to that glory : 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn {a grain) of 
wheat fall into the ground and die,s in order that it may 
germinate, it abideth alone (it remaineth a single grain) with- 
out increase ; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit : 
Even so must I undergo temporal death and be buried in the 
earth, h before the mighty spiritual harvest of the Gentile 



« Is this House, which 
is called hy My name, 
become a den of robbers? 
Jer. viL 11. 



d The people were as- 
tonished at His doctrine, 
for He taught them as 
One having authority, and 
not as the Scribes. Matt, 
vii. 28, 29. 

e — a Greek, a Syrophe- 
nician by nation. Mark 
vii. 26. 

Of the devout Greeks a 
great multitude believed. 
Acts xvii. 4. 

f Concerning a stran- 
ger that is not of Thy 
people Israel, but cometh 
out of a far country for 
Thy name's sake ; (for 
they shall hear of Thy 
great name, and of Thy 
strong hand, and of Thy 
stretched out arm); when 
he shall come and pray 
toward this House, hear 
Thou in heaven Thy 
dwelling-place, and do ac- 
cording to all that the 
stranger calleth to Thee 
for. 1 Kings viii. 41 — 43. 

s That which thou 
sowest is not quickened, 
except it die. 1 Cor. xv. 



b It became Him, for 
whom are all things, and 
by whom are all things, 
in bringing many sons 
unto glory, to make the 
Captain of their salvation 
perfect through sufferings. 
Heb. ii. 10. 



three Evangelists. Comparing these statements, 
it is evident that the act was more than an ex- 
pression of zeal against the profaners of the Tem- 
ple, and that it remarkably exhibits the Saviour 
in His great character of a Prophet. The Scrip- 
tures abound in material images ; and, with the 
Prophets, outward signs were of especial and ap- 
proved nse, when they would enforce some high 
and important topic of instruction. On the 
present occasion the whole proceeding seems to 
have been a prophetic information, by way of 
action, of the extension of the Gospel to the Gen- 
tiles. Our Saviour found the Court of the Gentiles 
polluted by the sale of beasts and other traffic ; 
and, by a symbolical action, He publicly breaks 
down the partition-wall which had before sepa- 
rated the Jewish and heathen worshippers. — The 
rulers of the Jews, who had connived at this, and 
were ever jealous of interference with their privi- 
leges, seem to have regarded the action in the 
same light. — It is observable that our Lord here 



calls the Temple "His House and the accom- 
panying action was obviously that of a Master in 
his own House. 

( 3 ) Certain Greeks.'] These Greeks would 
most probably be Syrophenicians, who had com- 
merce with the Galileans, and had been accus- 
tomed to offer sacrifices from the time of Solomon. 
It was not unusual with the heathen to do this ; 
and Josephus speaks of the refusal of an offering 
sent to Jerusalem by the Roman emperor as one 
cause of the last fatal war. 

( 4 ) That the Son of man should be glorified.^ 
The Glory of Christ especially consists in the tes- 
timony which the Father gave Him at His Death, 
Resurrection, and Ascension ; which appears 
from the texts Phil. ii. 8,9; Heb. ii/9. But 
the conversion of all nations to Christianity also 
eminently contributes to the Saviour's glory, 
and this view is more agreeable to the context 
in this place. 



282 A. VOICE FROM HEAVEN ATTESTS THE SAVIOUR A THIRD TIME. 



world can grow up, — " bringing many sons to glory." But 
if the wish of these Gentile strangers to see Me proceeds 
from the hope of any earthly advantage, they will be dis- 
th^ F S r 'wwVhou apposed; for, as I have told you already, those who 
hast given MebewithMe embrace the Gospel must be ready to suffer with Me: he 
may behold My glory, that loveth his life better than Me shall lose it, and he 
J °We X wL 2 hare alive and tnat seemingly hateth his We,— disregarding it for My 
remain, shall he caught sake, — shall, even though he lose it here, keep it unto life 

up together with them in . ^ r . 

the clouds, to meet the eternal. It any man would faithfully serve Me, let him 
Saii4ee^LTe ; with d the oe prepared to imitate Me in all things, and take up his 
Lo ™ d \ - 1 ^ hesSl iv ' 17 ' v. cross and follow Me ; and then where I am, there shall Mv 

To him that overcometh . " m p 3 •* 

will i grant to sit with servant be also : 1 if any man, be he Jew or Gentile, thus 

m.^T. My throne * Kev " truly serve Me, him will My Father also honour with a 

k i have a baptism to crown °f everlasting glory, — I am tempted even as you are : 

be baptized with, and how f or now j s My soul, with keen sensibility, troubled k at the 

am I straitened till it be " . J r 7 n 7 , _ _ 7 

accomplished. Lukexii. prospect of its shame, and of that wrath of God against 
Sin which I have to endure. And what shall I say ? shall 

rJthtr ^nd 6 prayed 1 SaV > father, SaVe Me fr0m this n0Ur ? Nature WOUld 

ing, o My Father, if it be prompt this ; for "a wounded spirit who can bear ?" But / 

possible, let this cup pass . . . . T . 

from Me: nevertheless, will not say it, since for this very cause, — that 1 might 
S aS SS.l9 Th ° B suffer the penalty of the sins of the world,— came I unto 
mi A this hour. / rather say, Be it so ; I am content to endure 

81 And it came to pass 



on the third day that there all : Father, glorify Thy Name. 1 
I^^^andlhfiToke of&e Then, as He spoke, there came a Voice from Heaven Wj< 

limpet exceeding bud. say ing, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again : 

And when the voice of the J ° 7 ° 3 o J o 

trumpet sounded long and in all that Thou hast said and done, the Divine Glory has 

waxed louder and louder, 7 .., , , , 7 7 ., 7 77 7 

Moses spake, and God hitherto been promoted, and it shall be even more con- 

FTxoTxi^io— 19 V ° ICe ' spicuously manifested by the events which are to come. 

And i saw when the The people, therefore, of the Gentile sort, that stood by 

Lamb opened one of the 17 _ . • -i i ♦ i i -i 

seals, and i heard, as it when the Voice came, and heard it, said that it thundered, 

^S^SS&hSS^ —f or indeed thunder had accompanied the words: but 

ing, Come and see. Rev. others of the Jews, who understood what had been uttered, 
vi. l. . . 

And when the angel said, An angel from God spake to Him. m 

u^rX^eirvlces^ev! Jesus answered and said, This Voice came not because 

x - 3 - of Me, for I knew well the eternal purpose of My Father 

h awr* f °d th tW • W ° rld ^° 9^° ri fv ^ s Name by Me; but it came for your sakes, 

them which believe not, that your faith might be confirmed notwithstanding all the 

rious^Gospei °o f f 'chitt indignities which I have shortly to endure. Now is the 

who is the image of God, judgment (the condemnation) of this world, 66 which lieth in 

should shine unto them. . . . ' , 7 7 

2 Cor. iv. 4. sin : now shall the prmce of this world, who has so long 

° And He said unto reigned in the hearts of the children of disobedience,^ be 

Kg e hTniJ g b 1aii d fr S om a he* cast out ° f rom dominion : and true and vital religion 

ven. Luke x. is. shall gradually take the place of idolatry. And if I be 



( 5 ) There came a Voice from Heaven.] Thus 
was Christ a third time attested from Heaven, 
and so was recognised in His three offices : at His 
Baptism, when He entered on His Ministry, as the 
great High Priest; at His Transfiguration, as 
the Prophet, whom all must hear; and now as 
King, after He had fulfilled the prophecy, " Re- 



joice, O Zion, behold thy King cometh." Thus 
are we bound to receive Him, as the Priest, 
who sacrificed even His own body for us ; as the 
Prophet, teaching us both in life and in death ; as 
the King, who shall govern us both here and for 
ever. 



JESUS AGAIN ALLUDES TO THE MANNER OF HIS DEATH. 



283 



{when I am) lifted up from the earth, I will thereby draw p As Moses lifted up 
all men (men from every nation) unto Me. — This He said L^eTnlomust the Son 
signifying, as on a previous occasion to Nicodemus, what ° f h ™^ b r e ^ivetii 
kind of death He should die.P— The people answered Him should not perish, 

J , , c,it / n n • , \ t Dut have eternal life. 

Him, We have heard out or the Law (the scriptures), that John m. u, 15. 

the Christ is immortal and abideth for ever<K 6 > on earth; e q Hisseed shall endure 

tor GV6r. JrS. IXXX1X, 00. 

and how then sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted of the increase of His 

. , , 7 , \ n ttti .i • ry r /» government there shall be 

up (must be removed hence) ? Who is this Son of man of no en d. isa. ix. 7. 
whom thou speahest ? iiSS^SS^™ 
Then Jesus said unto them, The true Son of man is shall not pass away, and 

, 7 . -± j n 7 . His kingdom that which 

now among you: prize the opportunity vouchsafed: yet a s h a n not he destroyed, 
little longer is the Light r with you; walk suitably\hi\e ye ^T^Lold shall reign 
have the Light to guide you. lest, by the just judgment of over them ic Mount zion 

- , , , 8 , . 7 7 7 . 7 x „ n , from henceforth even for 

God, darkness (spiritual blindness) come upon you : s for he ever. Mic. iv. 7. 
that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. r . Then s P ake Jesus 

° m again unto them, saying, 

And that you may so walk, while ye have the Light, 1 am the Light, of the 
believe in the Light, trusting in and rejoicing in it ; that wo s r Give ° ^} 0 ™' t0 ' the 
ye may be the children of light,* — being wise and good Lord your God, before He 

J » ■» • " /» • t 7 o cause darkness, and be- 

now, and heirs oj immortality hereajter. fore your feet stumble. 

These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide ^ sometime 

Himself (withdrew privately) from them. And when even darkness, but now are ye 
was come, He went, as before, out of the city to Bethany. cMdVen^of^^t^^h! 

v. 8, 



SECTION CVI. 

The Evangelist John comments on the obstinate unbelief of 
the Jews. Jesus, in passing the withered emblem of their 
destruction, exhorts His disciples to a lively faith. He 
again preaches in the Temple, plainly avowing Himself 
to be the Messiah ; and is questioned as to His authority 
by a deputation from the sanhedrim. 

Matt xxi. 20 — 27. Mark xi. 20 — 33. Luke xx. 1 — 8. John xii. 37 — 50. 

BUT though He had done so many miracles before 
them, yet they believed not on Him: so that the say- 
ing of Esaias the prophet might be (was) fulfilled in them* 
which he spake: — Lord, who hath believed our «They h * ve not ail 

i T obeyed the Gospel : for 

REPORT ? AND TO WHOM HATH THE ARM OF THE LORD Esa - as saithj jj^ wh o 

been revealed? (Isaiah liii. 1.) Therefore they could ^ b ^7 6 f our r " port? 
not believe, because that they were set against the Truth, 
and at length became judicially blinded by the withdrawal of 
God's Grace ; as Esaias said again, He hath blinded 



( 6 ) We have heard out of the Law, $c.] The 
Scribes had been diligent enough in displaying 
to the people the glories and the eternity of 
the Messiah's kingdom ; but they were blind to 
the knowledge that it was to be a spiritual king- 
dom in this world, and an eternal kingdom in 



heaven. They were silent also as to His suf- 
ferings, but (as St. Peter declares) the same 
Prophets, duly explained, led them from His suf- 
ferings to His resurrection and future glory. See 
1 Pet. i. 10, 11. 



284 



THE OBSTINATE UNBELIEF OF THE JEWS. 



0 I saw also the Lord 
sitting on a throne, 
high and lifted up, and 
His train filled the Tem- 
ple. And one cried unto 
another, and said, Holy, 
Holy, Holy, is the Lord 
of Hosts : the whole earth 
is full of His glory. Isa. 
vi. 1, 3. 

c The Jews had agreed 
already that if any man 
did confess that He was 
Christ, he should he put 
out of the Synagogue. 
John ix. 22. 

d How can ye believe 
which receive honour one 
of another, and seek not 
the honour that cometh 
from God only. John v. 44. 

He is a Jew which is 
one inwardly; whose praise 
is not of men, but of God. 
Rom. ii. 29. 

e If thou shalt confess 
with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and shalt believe in 
thine heart, thou shalt be 
saved : for with the heart 
man believeth unto right- 
eousness, and with the 
mouth confession is made 
unto salvation. Rom. x. 
9, 10. 



,8i M AoQ 



!>Wl9D9T disd 
Ssdi less aid aA 



THEIR EYES/ 1 ^ AND HARDENED THEIR HEART {Their eyes 

are blinded, and they have hardened their own hearts), 

THAT THEY SHOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, NOR 
UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CON- 
VERTED AND I SHOULD HEAL THEM (Jsaiah vi. 10). 

These things said Esaias when he beheld the Lord of Hosts 
sitting upon a throne in heaven, and thus saw His. — the 
Messiah's, — glory, b and spake of Him W as one who should 
"pour out His soul unto death, and be numbered with the 
transgressors, and bear the sins of many" (Isa. liii. 12.) 
Nevertheless this infidelity was not universal; for, in addi- 
tion to the common people, who heard Him gladly and fol- 
lowed Him, many among the chief rulers also believed on 
Him (were convinced He must be the Christ) ; but because 
of the Pharisees they did not venture to confess Him 
openly, lest they should be put out of the Synagogue. 0 
For they loved the praise of men and their reputation in 
the world, more than the praise of God d and that honour 
which cometh of Him only : they believed, not with the 
heart, but with the understanding ; and in this also their 
faith was wanting, that they did not " make confession of it 
with the mouth unto salvation" e 

And in the morning of the third day of the week, as 
they (Jesus and His disciples) passed by on their way to the- 
city, when the disciples saw the fig-tree dried up from the 
roots, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig-tree 
withered away ! And Peter, calling to remembrance ivhat 
had passed on the previous day, saith unto Him, Master, 



( l ) Blinded their eyes, I* could not be 

intended by the prophet, that " God had blinded 
their eyes;" nor by our Lord, for, only the 
day previous, He had been earnestly exhorting 
them to "believe and walk in the Light." He 
says also, " Ye will not come to Me that ye may 
have Life" (John v. 40) ; and again, " How often 
would I have gathered you, and ye would not" 
(Luke xiii. 34). In fact their hardness of heart, 
and Faith, were incompatible. Therefore the 
sense is, " They have blinded their eyes, &c. :" it 
is so rendered in our Translation in the place 
where St. Matthew puts the same question into 
the mouth of our Lord, " Their eyes they have 
closed, &c." (Matt. xiii. 15), and St. Luke makes 
St. Paul cite the words precisely in the same form 
(Acts xxviii. 27). Again, in a parallel passage 
of Isaiah (xliv. 18), the Septuagint or Greek 
Version more correctly translates the Original 
thus : "They have shut their eyes." 

Objections have been further laid against pre- 
dictions of this class, as affecting the Justice of 
God in His dispensations : — It is said, that the 
freedom of human actions is destroyed, if they 
are certainly foreknown and must happen. But 
although Foreknowledge is plainly ascribed to 
God in Scripture, no such influence is laid on the 
will of man as to oblige him to do anything. The 
reason why all men are not actually saved is pre- 



cisely because the Divine wisdom aoes not see fit 
to lay restraints on human actions. God foresaw 
that a very large proportion of the Jews would 
reject the Gospel; and He was pleased to foretell 
this among other events relative to the Advent 
and Ministry of Christ, for it was designed that 
the fulfilment of such predictions should form a 
part of the evidence of the divine authority of 
the Gospel. See Section VII., Note 3. 

( 2 ) These things said Esaias, when he saw His 
glory, and spake of Him.'] The Person whom 
the Prophet saw was undoubtedly the Everlasting 
Deity, " the Lord of Hosts," and a Jewish tra- 
dition declares that Isaiah was put to a cruel 
death for affirming this. St. John here makes 
an express application of this Vision to the Lord 
Jesus Christ ; and that Isaiah "spake of Him" is 
evident from the whole of the 53rd chapter, 
which expressly relates to the Saviour's sufferings 
and future glory. St. Paul also, citing the pre- 
face to the same Prophecy, distinctly applies it 
to the Gospel times, Rom. x. 16. It appears 
then, as plain as words can make it, that Jesus 
Christ was One with the Eternal Jehovah. — As 
plainly is the Holy Spirit to be here identified 
with both, for St. Paul says, Acts xxviii. 25 — 27, 
that it was the Spirit who spake to Isaiah in this 
passage of the prophet. 



JESUS ANNOUNCES HIMSELF PUBLTCLY IN THE TEMPLE AS THE MESSIAH. 285 
behold the fig-tree which Thou curscdst f [didst devote to f That which beareth 

_ . 7 \ • 7 7 vi i thorns and briers is reiect- 

destruction for its barrenness) is already withered away. e d, and is nigh unto curs- 

And Jesus answering, saith unto them, Have firm faith j^*^^* be 

in God, confiding in the success of miracles wrought 

through Him, and then the same power shall be conferred 

upon you : for verily I say unto you, That if ye have such 

faith, and doubt not s of your success as heralds of the e A » k in faith, nothing 

-<i 1 7 77 i -!• i • i • i wavering. J as. i. 6. 

Gospel, ye shall not only be able to do this which is done 

to the fig-tree ; but also, whosoever among you shall say 

unto this mountain (Mount Olivet) now before us, Be thou 

removed, h and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not fa Verily, I say unto 

doubt in his heart, but shall firmly believe that those ^J?*2£gg£ 

things which he saith shall come to pass, it shall be done, shall s *y unto this moun- 

iTini i i • i -n j .7 7/y tam > ttemove hence to 

and he shall have whatsoever he saith. But the only ejjec- yonder place, and it shall 
tual means to establish such faith is Prayer to God : and, be^poSbie 0 ^^ yml! 
therefore, I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, Matt - 20 - 
and shall ask in prayer, (3) in order to confirm your doc- 
trine, and to make it manifest that ye are sent from God, 
believe without a misgiving that ye will really receive, and 
ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying in the 
presence of God, especially remember this condition of suc- 
cessful Prayer : forgive from the heart if ye have aught to 1 — forgiving one ano. 
complain of against any; 1 that your Father also which is quarrel Snstwiyf even 
in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye ^^V^oTihTs^ 
do not forgive your fellow-men, neither will your Father 
which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. . l Ch ? s * T™ 8 ™ anifest 

° # J r m these last times for vou, 

And they come again to Jerusalem. And when He was who by Him do believe 
come into the Temple, Jesus cried aloud and said : — / am m ul that hath ^ecdved 
come to teach with the authority of God: He that believ- g» ^f^iL'S'S 
eth on Me, believeth not on Me alone, but also on Him God is t™ 6 - John m. 33. 
that sent Me; k and He that seeth Me, seeth Him that sent 1 He that hath seen Me 
Me. 1 I am come a Light into the world, that whosoever *™\ ^ Father - 
believeth on Me should not abide any longer in darkness m God sent not his gon 
(in spiritual blindness), but, quided ariqht by the Sun of int0 the ™ orld to con- 

r>- £ z. 7,7 j X /j-s 77 . ' demn the world, but that 

Righteousness, should learn the way of life ana happiness, the world through Him 
And if any man hear My words, and nevertheless believe jjg* be saved ' Johnm ' 
not, I iudge him not m now, for I came not to judge the Do not think that 1 will 

t i i _ _ _ _ 7 , . ? 7 accuse you to the Father. 

world, but to save the world. Yet the Gospel which I bring John v. 45. 

J9019 « ol >tuq aev? fi«ifisl i&di &onaioeb aoiiib &v&dtvsd3 es'rs ttsdT * • J>w J wo io ffwom adi 



iwoJ sdi oS aohiY ami 5o noi*jK>Hrqfi Vstojb 

( 3 ) What things soever ye desire, and shall ask 
in Prayer.] This was a special promise, which 
must be limited to the persons of the Apostles 
and the age of miracles (see Section LXXIII., 
Note 2). Peter, the spokesman on this occasion, 
afterwards proved how firm was his faith in the 
powers conferred upon him, Acts iii. 6; ix. 34. 
Undoubtedly great constancy and courage was 
then required; for the speaker staked all his 
credit as a messenger from God, and consequently 
all the honour and usefulness of bis future life, on 
the immediate miraculous energy attending his 
words.— St. John, in his first Epistle (written 
ivhen the power of working miracles was gra- 



dually declining), again speaks of the prayer of 
faith ; and the limit to which he there confines 
its power, namely, its being asked " according to 
the Divine will," (see 1 John v. 14), would make 
the promise of successful Prayer a general one, 
and thenceforth applicable to every age. The 
Apostles had such a measure of wisdom vouch- 
safed, that they could scarcely ask, except according 
to the will of God : but succeeding Christians 
must limit their petitions to " what may be ex- 
pedient for them." — On a similar general applica- 
tion of the powerful effects of Faith, see Section 
XC, Note 3. 



2S6 JESUS REFUTES THE CHIEF PRIESTS, WHO QUESTION HIS AUTHORITY. 



will decide his lot : he that rejecteth Me, and receiveth 
not My words, hath one that (hath that which, Gr.) 
judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall 
■ it shall come to pass judge him in the last day. 11 For I have not spoken of 
Mysdf {merely of My own motion), but the Father which 
which He (the Prophet sent jj e °:ave Me a commandment what I should sav, 

which 1 will raise up) ° m 

shall speak in My name', and what I should speak 0 (what I should enjoin as to the 
Deut, xvni U ?9. " ° ' precepts of the Gospel, and what I should teach as to its 
° i will raise them up principles) . And I know that His Commandment (the 
a Prophet from among Doctrine which I preach) is the way to life everlasting : 

their brethren, and will ^ ' s ° 

put My words in His whatsoever therefore 1 speak, even as the Father said 

mouth, and He shall „ . -\f t „ -t 

speak unto them all that Unt ° Me > S0 1 S P eak - 

i shall command Him. ft came to pass fog* as jJe was walking and 

Deut. xvm. 18. . 3 

I am in the Father and taught the people in the Temple, and preached the Gospel, 
words a that ? speak unto suddenly there came upon Him in a body the chief priests 
Sf.' Voh^v 0 io' f Mr " anci - t ^ ie scr ^es. and the elders of the people ; and spake 
unto Him, saying : — Tell us, — to whose charge the govern- 
ment of this Temple is committed. — By virtue of what 
authority doest thou these things ? or who is he that gave 
thee this authority to do these things ? for none but a 
prophet, a priest, or a king, can take upon them to make 
these extraordinary changes, which are clearly beyond the 
office of any private individual. And Jesus, desirous of 
avoiding any immediate violence to His person, answered 
them by another question.- — a method then familiar to Hebrew 
disputants, — and said unto them, I will also ask you one 
question, and answer Me to one plain thing; which if ye tell 
Me, then I in likewise {in like manner) will tell you by what 
authority I do these things: — The Baptism of John, whence 
was it ? from the great God of heaven, or of men only, and 
the contrivance of men? answer Me this. And they reasoned 
with themselves, saying. If we shall say, It was from 
heaven, he will immediately say unto us, Why then be- 
lieved ye him not? when he bore repeated testimony that I 
Jews sent Priests and was the long-expected Messiah ? But [and] if we shall sav, 

Lentes from Jerusalem to TT . 7 ,. r .-. . . . , , 7 , 7 * 

ask him, Who art thou? His baptism was of men, that again might be hazardous: 
t&%&££tx M we fear that all the people will be incensed agaimt and 
am not the Christ stone us, for thev be all firmly persuaded Tfor all men 

But there standeth One 7 • 1 1/1 . \ 

amongvou whom Te know counted, Mabk] that John was a prophet indeed. <i 



P And this is the re- 
cord of John, when the 



not: He it is who, com 
ing after me, is preferred 
before me, for He was he- 
fore me .... The next day 



Wherefore the chief priests and those who accompanied 
them thought it better to affect ignorance than to admit a 
John seeth Jesus coming truth which would condemn themselves ; and thev answered 

unto him, and saith, Be- , . , . T TT - . . ,, , . , 

hold the Lamb of God, and said unto Jesus, \\ e cannot tell whence it was. And 

2fof th^oridH^ Jesus answering said unto them, Neither tell I you by 

19, 20, 26, 27, 29. what authority I do these things : if you are unable to form 

q When Herod would a judgment concerning John, how can you be competent to 

Le^feared ^multitude', decide on My pretensions P — So they could not answer Him 

aTa^rophTt ^Matt 3? a 9 a ^ n to these things, and "the wise were taken in their own 

o. craftiness." 



287 



SECTION CVII. 

Jesus rebukes the rulers by the parables op the Two Sons, 
the Husbandmen and the Heir, and the Wedding-Feast. 

Matt. xxi. 23—46; xxii. 1— -14. Mark xii. 1 — 12. Luke xx. 9 — 19. 

AND when Jesus had silenced the rulers who came to 
question Him respecting His authority, He began to 
speak unto them and to the people by parables. 

And first He said, But what think ye ? let me hear 
your opinion on this case: — A certain man had two sons, 
and he came to the first and said to him, Son, go and work 
to-day in my vineyard ; he answered roughly, and said to 
his father, I will not ; but, afterwards, on better considera- 
tion, he repented of his undutiful behaviour, and went. 
And he came to the second son, and said likewise : and he 
answered plausibly, and said, I go, Sir, immediately ; and 
yet he went not. Now, whether of them twain {which of 
those two) did the will of his father ? They say unto Him, 
The first only. Then Jesus saith unto them, The case of the 
second son has its parallel in your own conduct : you address 
God by the most honourable titles, and profess the greatest 
readiness and zeal in His service ; but your whole lives are 
one continued course of disobedience and rebellion. Verily, 
I say unto you, That even the publicans a and the har- ■ And the publicans 
lots,* worthless and insignificant as you may deem them, SSiSt baplm'S 
go into the kingdom of God before you: for their con- Jo ^ : but the Pharisees 

° ■? n t n and lawyers rejected the 

duct more nearly resembles that oj the first son : they counsel of God against 

are less privileged, less self-complacent, and less confirmed aTeTof hlm^Luke^i 

in sin ; and the most profane and dissolute persons may be 29 ' 3a 

always nearer to Repentance than mere formalists and b Her sin ^ ^ich are 

hypocrites. For John the Baptist came unto yOU in the she loved much. Luke 

way {the practice) of righteousness ; and ye believed him ™' 47, 

not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him. And 

notwithstanding their conversion, ye, when ye had seen it, c i ga ve her space to 

with all your pretences to extraordinary sanctity, repented re P ent of her forni ca- 

A j „ . i 7 •ii i • . ,. r fion, and she repented not. 

not alterward, c that ye also might believe in him. Rev. ii. 21. 

Hear another parable, that you may see God's gracious 
dealings towards you, and your base ingratitude to Him. 
There was a certain householder, which planted a vine- d My weii-beiovedhath 
yard, d and hedged it round about, and digged a place for Mhiii: and He fenced it" 
receiving the wine-fat, {under a wine-press which he made Sit of^anTaisj made 
in it), and built a tower for the tenant or his watchman to iL wi ^ press ^erem.... 

7 , ' . , . , t 1 -. , The Vineyard of the Lord 

lodge in, and let it out to husbandmen ; and then went of Hosts "is the house of 

into a far country for a long time. IsraeL Isa ' v> l > 2 ' 1 ' 

And at the season, when the time of gathering the 
fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen 



288 THE PARABLE OF THE HUSBANDMEN AND THE HEIR. 

e But they mocked the that they might receive from the husbandmen that portion 

desjSe^His 0 words,' and of the fruit of the vineyard which was due to him as the 

cw d xfxvi P ?6 betS ' 2 stipulated rent. And the husbandmen caught (seized) his 

^NevertMe3s%were servants, and beat one and sent him away empty, and 

against Thee, and slew killed another (1) who had been more importunate with them, 
and stoned (*«• ^<>nes at) another [a third, Lum],«<» 

them to Thee. Neh. ix. so f na f he dared not even approach to expostulate with them, 

Which of the Prophets And, again, he sent unto them other servants/ more in 

^ecutedl^ActsT^li^' number than the first, hoping thus to terrify them into com- 

They were stoned, they pUance; and they, growing audacious under their first success. 

were sawn asunder, were ■* * ,,. . . 

slain with the sword, did unto them likewise : at him who was the chief they cast 
stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away 
J,tl*u^°His h st empty and shamefully handled. And, again, not wishing 
vants Ae d Pr ° p k^'^^ yet to proceed to extremities, he sent another more con- 
hut ye have not hearkened, fidential servant ; and him also they wounded, and cast him 
heL! nC Je U r d x^l ear * out of the vineyard, and killed him: and so they dealt with 

f The Lord hath said man y otheYS > beating some and killing some, 
unto Me, Thou art^My Then said the lord of the vineyard, What further shall 
lottenThS 7 iSof Me, I do for the sake of peace with these violent and dishonest 
heathe'n for^ThineTnhe- men > whom I am loth to punish, — as I must do when I at 
ritance, and the uttermost length visit them, — so severely as they deserve ? There is 

parts of the earth for Thy * ' 9 . * 

possession. Ps. ii. 7, 8. noiv out one alternative lejt : 1 will send my son unto them 
daysipoken^to'i^y *» ™y stead.— Having yet, therefore, one only son, his well- 
His Son, whom He hath beloved, he sent him also last of all unto them, savins: 

appointed heir of all * . . 

things. Heb. i. 1,2. within himself It may be (Surely, Gr.) they will reverence 
wherefore Jesus also my son when they see him. But when the husbandmen 
^b^rS/ 1 * 11168 ** 8 ' saw the son, they, hardened in their wickedness, reasoned 

i They have s i ain them amon g themselves, saying, This is the heir;S come let us 
which shewed before of kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance, that it may be 
One, o^^fhom ye have more completely and permanently ours. And forthwith they 
r«he ee m n ur"Tcu cau S ht him > a "d cast him out" of the vineyard, 

vii 52. and slew him. 1 

¥ Thou hast brought a When, therefore, the lord of the vineyard cometh, 
hast ca^t^utSfheJthen what, think you, will he do unto those husbandmen ? They 
and planted it; Thou pre- Ufa Pharisees) say unto Him, He will miserably (terribly) 

paredst room before it, and v . . . . 

didst cause it to take deep destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard 

root, and it filled the land , , , , , . , , . j ■,. 

it is (now) burnt with unto other husbandmen, which shall justly render mm the 

perish at^frSuW fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, He shall 
thy countenance. Ps. indeed come and destroy those husbandmen, k and shall 
And now, d inhabitants give the vineyard to others : you have determined right, but 
pray J ™ le betiiS se Me therein have condemned yourselves. You "for a long time" 
and My vineyard. w T hat have enjoyed great and peculiar privileges in the Lord's 

could have been done " / ° * n / , , 

more toMy vineyard, that Vineyard: many of the faithful servants ana prophets, 
I^muu whom He successively sent to warn you, ye "shamefully 
that it should bring forth handled and killed;" and, " last of all," in the fulness of 

grapes, brought it forth . 7 777 7 j a - 1 

wild grapes? And now time, He has sent His only and well-beloved bon, whom ye 



( ] ) And beat one, and killed another, and 

stoned another. ] The servant beaten would apply 
to the case of Jeremiah; the one killed, to Isaiah, 



who suffered death under Manasses; and the 
third stoned, to Zacharias, son of Jehoiada (other* 
wise Barachias; see Section XLIX., Note 12). 



THE PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE-FEAST. 



289 



are even now plotting to destroy, and will shortly " cast 
out " of your city and kill. 

Therefore say I unto you. The blessings of the king- 
dom of God, which you no longer deserve to enjoy, 
shall be taken from you, and given to a nation (to a dif- 
ferent race), that will dutifully and gratefully use the 
means of Grace, bringing forth the fruits thereof in due 
season. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid 
that the case of those husbandmen should be a parallel case 
with ours : we are conscious of no such ivickedness, and 
know that God will never desert His chosen people. And 
Jesus stedfastly beheld them, and said unto them, Tell Me, 
what is this then that is written of the Messiah, and of the 
times upon which we are now come ? Did ye never read this 
in the Scriptures? The Stone which the builders 

REJECTED, THE SAME IS BECOME THE HEAD OF THE 
CORNER : 1(2) THIS IS THE LORD^S DOING, AND IT IS 

marvellous in our eyes (Ps. cxviii. 22, 23). Thusyou, 
professing to be the ablest workmen, refuse, as neither useful 
nor beautiful, that which shall become the chief ornament 
and support of the Spiritual Temple. And whosoever shall 
fall on (against) this Stone shall be broken 111 (bruised) ; 
but on whomsoever it shall fall in vengeance with all its 
terrible weight, it will completely crush and grind him 
to powder. Those ivho have taken offence at the Gospel, 
stumbling through the prejudices of others, shall be punished 
with few stripes; but the heaviest punishment shall fall on 
those blind guides, who go on sinning against knowledge and 
the light of their own consciences. 

And Jesus answered, and spake unto them again by 
parables, and said, The kingdom of heaven (The Gospel Dis- 
pensation) is like unto the conduct of a certain king, which 
made a marriage-jfea.^ for his son; and sent forth his ser- 
vants to call them that were bidden (to summon from a 
neighbouring city those who had been invited) to the wed- 
ding. And they would not come, but began, as though 
with one consent, to make excuse. Again, with gracious 
condescension, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell 
them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my 
dinner : my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things 



go to : I will tell you 
what I will do to My 
vineyard: I will take 
away the hedge thereof, 
and it shall be eaten up, 
and break down the wall 
thereof, and it shall be 
trodden down ; and I will 
lay it waste. For the 
Vineyard of the Lord of 
hosts is the house of Is- 
rael. Isa. v. 3 — 6, 7. 



1 Thus saith the Lord 
God, Behold, I lay in 
Zion for a foundation, a 
Stone, a tried Stone, a 
precious corner-Stone, a 
sure foundation. Isa. 
xxviii. 16. 

Other foundation can 
no man lay than that is 
laid, which is Christ Jesus. 
1 Cor. iii. 11. 

— built upon the foun- 
dation of the Apostles and 
Prophets, Jesus Christ 
Himself being the chief- 
corner-Stone ; in whom all 
the building, fitly framed 
together, groweth unto an 
holy Temple in the Lord. 
Eph. ii. 20, 21. 

m He shall be for a 
Sanctuary : but for a Stone 
of stumbling, and for a 
Rock of offence to both the 
houses of Israel, and for a 
snare to the inhabitants of 
Jerusalem. And many 
among them shall stum- 
ble and fall, and be bro- 
ken. Isa. viii. 14, 15. 

They stumbled at that 
stumbling Stone, as it is 
written, Behold I lay in 
Sion a stumbling-Stone 
and Rock of offence. 
Rom. ix. 32, 33 



( 2 ) The Stone which the builders rejected, <|-c.] 
This remarkable prediction (first applied by 
David, the distinguished type of Christ, to his 
own rejection by Saul) is also declared by St. 
Peter to be fulfilled in the days of the Gospel 
(see Acts iv. 11). — The Christian dispensation is 
often represented, as the Jewish had been, under 
the figure of a building, Christ being represented 
as the chief Stone in sustaining the whole fabric, 
and uniting Jews and Gentiles into one. — We 
may suppose the Stone in this metaphor to be an 



upright one, or an ornamental column, such as 
might be added to protect a building at the cor- 
ner where it was most exposed to injury : against 
this a passenger would be apt to stumble, and it 
might possibly fall on him. — There may also be 
some allusion to the method of stoning among the 
Jews : the criminal was precipitated from an emi- 
nence so as to dash him against some great stone ; 
and if this did not dispatch him, they threw ano- 
ther upon him, thereby crushing him in pieces. 

u 



290 



THE WEDDING-GARMENT, 



are now ready: come, I pray you, unto the marriage. But 
they, alike regardless of the second invitation, made light of 
» i have called, and ye ft n anc [ went their ways, one to his farm, another to his 

refused : 1 nave stretched ' J ' 

out My hand, and no man merchandise. 0 And the remnant {the rest of them) took 

ser ^^ought y aii h My his servants, who had staid to expostulate with them, and 

orMy\^o7 OU prov 0n i entreated tnem spitefully [treated them contumeliously), 

24, 25. and even savagely and wantonly slew them/ 3 ) But when 

° And they all, with one the king heard thereof, he was very wroth, and, as soon as 

excusf Thefirst saidfi the da V s of festivity ivere over, he sent forth his armies, 

have bought a piece of anc i destroyed those murderers, and burned up their citv. p 

ground, and 1 must needs * m r J 

go and see it, i pray thee But then [at the time when the feast ivas in readiness), 

have me excused. And i ..i . j> • . 777 

another said, i have bought he saith to some of his servants who had remained at home, 
lo p^hemTpTay thS The weMmg-entertainment is ready, but they which were 
have me excused. Lute bidden were not worthy go ye therefore into the high- 
ways {the most frequented places, where other ways unite), 
and ttoweekLhSes! and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.— So 
H^eif CU lnd ?he people tll0se servants went out into the highways, and gathered 
of the Prince that shall together all as many as they found, both bad and good/ 

come shall destroy the •, , , 7 ». . , .., 

city and the sanctuary, and the wedding was abundantly furnished with guests ; 
D& o Jerusalem! Jerusa a ^ °f wnom were liberally provided with clean white 
iem ! which kiiiest the apparel, as was the custom on such auspicious occasions. 

prophets and stonest them a-ii , t i • • , • 7 ± , ,1 

that are sent unto thee:— And when the king came m at night to see the guests, 
kft h °unto y °you desolate! ^ e immediately saw there a man which had not on a wed- 
Lute xiii. 34, 35. ding-garment ; s W for this person, thinking his own apparel 

q it was necessary that quite good enough, had ungraciously rejected the proffered 
first have been spoken^to Tobe. And he saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in 
you; but seeing ye put it hither, not having on a wedding-garment ? And he could 

from you, and judge your- ' o 00 

selves unworthy of ever- make no excuse for the gross want of respect which he had 

the Gentiles. Actsxhi.46. shewn, but was speechless. Then said the king to his ser- 

' The Kingdom of Hea- vants, Bind him hand and foot, so that he may cause no 

ven is like unto a net that disturbance, and take him away, and cast him into outer 

was cast into the sea, and J 

gathered of every kind, darkness {the darkness without) far away from this cheerful 
scene : there, among those disappointed persons ivho are un- 
P areJ h a ^ificef He" deserving like himself, shall be weeping and gnashing of 
hath bid His guests. And teeth. For manv are called, but few are chosen. 

it shall come to pass in , J 717 7-77- 

the day of the Lord's This was the last parable by which Jesus rebuked the 
Ssh ail 'such as Tre cV Pharisees and rulers, and He could not have concluded 
Jedwith strange apparel. m s teaching with one more adapted to themselves and 
to that eventful age. Tliey had ungratefully refused the 
Gospel invitation, and some of the Apostles they afterwards 
slew; but God at length sent the Roman legions, " the wea- 
pons of His indignation" (Isa. xiii. 5 ; Jer. 1. 25) ; and 
having destroyed the murderers of His servants, and burned 



( 3 ) Slew them.'] The servants of God alluded 
to as slain in this part of the parable, would be 
John the Baptist, Peter, Stephen, James the 
son of Zebedee, and James the son of Alpheus. 
According to Tradition others might be added to 
the list. 

( 4 ) WJiich had not on a ivedding-garment.J The 



wedding garment is the Christian character, a 
metaphor which is frequently applied to indivi- 
dual believers in Scripture. The Psalmist so 
describes the Church (Ps. xlv. 13), and St. Paul 
exhorts, that putting off the old man, we put on 
the new (Eph. iv. 22, 24), and that we "put on 
the Lord Jesus" (Rom. xiii. 14.) 



A REPRESENTATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 



291 



their city, He sent to call the Gentiles in, offering the Gospel t Thou hast a few 

to every creature. — But all who accept the Gospel invitation S w not defiled 

must be clothed, even as in a wedding -garment t of pure white, JJS ^^withMf 2 

with a faith and conversation suitable to their high calling : ^ h hite '-^ or th ?y 4 are wor- 

for, at the Day of Judgment, the Heavenly King will imme- i counsel thee to buy 

diately detect the most consummate hypocrite, and assign him Y l hlte raiment - 

his portion ivith the unbeliever and the sinner. These arrayed in white 

^ . robes are they which have 

And when the chief priests and the bcnbes and Phan- come out of great tribu- 

sees had heard His parables, they perceived that He had theiT' robes, ^Za^ made 

spoken against them : and the same hour they sought * h f ^ e w £^ n ^ v bl ^ 

opportunity to lay hands on Him ; but they feared the 13, 14. 

opposition and anger of the multitude, because they took clean and white; for the 

Him for a Prophet.* And so for the present they left n ^ s 1 7 s n j^ he g£3£ 

Him, and went their way. 8 - 

tt And they glorified God, saying, That a great Prophet is risen up among us, and, that God hath visited 
His people. Luke vii. 16. 



SECTION CVIII. 

Jesus confutes the Pharisees with the Herodians, and after- 
wards THE SADDUCEES, WHO PUT ENSNARING QUESTIONS FOR 
HlS DECISION. 

Matt. xxii. 15 — 33. Mark xii. 13 — 27. Luke xx. 20 — 40. 



THEN went the Pharisees and took counsel together 
how they might entangle Him in His talk. And ac- 
cordingly they watched Him for their opportunity; and 
sent forth unto Him spies of their own disciples, with the 
Herodians, (1) which should feign themselves just men (as 
those who venerated the Law of Moses, and were fearful of 
infringing it), that they might take hold of His words; 
that so, if He strictly adhered to the Jewish scruples 
respecting the Law, they might deliver Him up unto the 
power and authority of the Roman governor. 

And when they were come, they asked Him, with an 
hypocritical semblance of great respect, saying, Master 
(Teacher), we know that thou art true (without guile) and 
sayest and teachest rightly ; a neither carest thou for a with flattering lips 
the praise or censure of any man: for thou regardest not ^.d with a double heart 

_ * , i do thev speak- Ps. xu. 2. 

[acceptest not, Luke] the person of men, b but impartially The words of Ms mouth 

teachest the way of God in truth. Tell us, therefore, ter^\urTa^ e wS a in b hi 

What thinkest thou as to this matter ? Is it lawful for us he * rt - Ps - lv - 21 • 

Jews to give tribute (2) (to pay taxes) to the Roman emperor mans Lrson? C ^ a i!V 6? 



0) Herodians.] See Section XXXVIII., 
Note 4. 

( 2 ) Tribute.'] This was the annual capitation 
tax (amounting to about sevenpence halfpenny 
of our money) which had been imposed by the 
Romans. The coin is said to have borne this in- 
scription, in Greek, around the head of the empe- 
ror, te Cesar Augustus, Judea being subdued.'''' 



person. 

— The Temple-due was altogether different, being 
a half-shekel of Jewish money. — The Roman tax 
was borne with great impatience, and it gave rise 
to various insurrections, in which Judas of Gali- 
lee, who first questioned its lawfulness, particu- 
larly distinguished himself. The Herodians might 
suspect that Jesus, as a Galilean, would be likely 
to favour this sect. 

U 2 



292 THE PHARISEES AND OTHERS ARE REPLIED TO CONCERNING THE TRIBUTE. 



Caesar, or not ? Can we do this consistently with our religious 
principles ? fori as Abraham's children, and ever a peculiar 
people and royal nation, we ought not to be in bondage to 
any man. Shall we give then, or shall we not give ? 

Here was presented a very dangerous dilemma, affecting 
either the reputation, or the life of Jesus : for if He, in 
terms, directed them to pay the tax, the Pharisees would have 
represented Him to the People as advocating the cause of ido- 
laters, in opposition to the Law and to their liberties ; and 
also as renouncing for Himself the office of an all-triumphant 
Messiah. If, on the other hand, He declared the tax to be 
illegal, the Herodians ivould have charged Him with treason 
and at once arrested Him as an enemy to Caesar. But 
Jesus perceived their craftiness and wickedness {malice) ; 
and knowing their thorough hypocrisy, said unto them, 
Why tempt ye Me, ye hypocrites? you seek, not to be 
advised in this matter, but to ensnare One for whom you 
profess such deference. But your question shall be an- 
swered: Shew Me the tribute-money [Bring Me a penny 
that I may see it, Mark]. And they brought unto Him 
a Roman denarius or penny. And He saith unto them, 
Whose image and superscription (inscription, Marg.) is 
this [hath it, Luke.] ? And they answered and said 
unto Him, It is Caesar's. And Jesus answering said unto 
them, Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are 
»» of whom do the Caesar's, 0 ^ — whatsoever is properly due to him as your 

kings of the earth take J r r v v 

custom or tribute ? of governor under God ; and also unto God the things that 

strangers? Peter saith un- are God's : c for if allegiance should be paid to the kings of 

MatT^i. 25, 26 tran§ers ' this world, much more is it due to Him who is the King of 

^ Pay ye tribute also for kings, and Lord of lords. 

Render therefore to aii Thus were the enemies of Jesus completely baffled; for 

whom Sute isduefcus" was ^ e received maxim of their schools, that wherever a 

tom to whom custom, fear kinqts coin was current, it was an evidence of his dominion : 

to whom fear, honour to ** . , % 

whom honour. Rom. xiii and while the seditious Pharisees were warned to pay those 
dues to the Roman government which, in heart at least, they 
« a son honoureth his res i s t e d f ne licentious Herodians and Sadducees were re- 

father, and a servant his 7 

master : if then, i be a minded of those dues to God which they altogether neglected* 
honour? and if I be a And when they had heard these words, they could not take 

S e K h Lord am J hold of His words before the people, so as to incense 

Mai. i. 6. them against Him as an enemy to liberty; neither could 

king, l Pet. ii. 17 they find any ground for an accusation against Him to the 



( 3 ) Render therefore unto Ccesar, <|-c.] The 
illative particle here shews that our Lord inten- 
ded, though indirectly, to decide the lawfulness 
of the tribute, as well as the necessity of render- 
ing what was due to God. He sanctions the duty 
of civil, as well as of religious obedience ; and leav- 
ing the nature of the government just as He found 
it, inculcates submission to it because it is estab- 
lished. The right of levying tribute on the Jews 
had its rise in their own act of submission, with 



promise of fidelity, to the Roman government, 
and it had then existed about a hundred years. 
So King Agrippa argues in his speech to the Jews 
before the commencement of the war (B. J. 
ii. 16), and Josephus himself takes the same 
view. — Notwithstanding the just as well as pru- 
dent answer of our Lord on this occasion, His 
unscrupulous enemies made it a subject of accu- 
sation against Him on His trial, "that He forbade 
to give tribute to Ceesar ! " See Luke xxiii. 2. 



THE SADDUCEES PUT AN ENSNARING CASE TO JESUS. 



293 



Roman governor. And they marvelled at the singular 
wisdom and address which had been shewn in His answer, 
and held their peace, and left Him, and went their way. 

Then the same day came to Him certain of the Saddu- 
cees, which deny that there is to be any Resurrection* 1 ^ A The Sadducecg say 
of the body, or any Future State after death; and they rection, neither angel nor 
asked Him, saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us [said, ^ Actsxxiii - 8 - 
Mark, — or enacted], If any man^s brother die, and leave 
his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his bro- 
ther should take his wife (his widow), and raise up seed unto 
his brother (Deut. xxv. 5). Now there were with us seven 
brethren ; (5 ) and the first of them, when he had married 
a wife, deceased (died), and having no children, left his 
wife unto his brother. And the second took her to wife, 
and he likewise died childless. And the third took her ; 
and, in like manner, the residue of the seven also had her: 
and they left no children, and died. And last of all, the 
woman died also. Therefore, in the Resurrection, when 
they shall rise as it is asserted shall happen at the Last Day, 
whose wife shall she be of the seven ? for all the seven had 
her to wife in this world, and all would have an equal claim 
to that alliance in the next. 

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Your argu- 
ment is altogether grounded on a wrong supposition : ye do 
err, not knowing the true sense of what the Scriptures declare 
concerning a Future State, nor the Omnipotent Power of 
God. e He ivho originally created all things with His e why should it he 
word, can also preserve in existence the souls of men, inde- J^ S y* u * G™ds£Sd 
pendently of their bodies; and He will hereafter as readily raise & e dead? Acts 
collect the scattered particles of those bodies, and raise them 
up again, pure and glorified, to be united to their own souls. 
For the children of this world marry and are given in 
marriage : but they which shall be accounted worthy to 
obtain that world which is to come, and attain to the 
Resurrection from the dead, when they shall rise, neither 
marry nor are given in marriage ; neither can they die 
any more : f for, in respect of immortality and freedom from f There snall be no 
carnal passions, they are thenceforth equal unto the ansrels of raore d ®? th; for tbe for : 

J ° * 3 mer things are passed 

God m heaven, who have no need of marriage to perpetuate away. Rev. xxi. 4. 



( 4 ) Which deny that there is any Resurrection. ] 
Josephus states it (Antiq. xviii. 1) as the opinion 
of this sect, that " Death extinguishes the souls 
as well as the bodies" of men. — They thought 
the soul was only a more refined kind of matter. 

( 5 ) There were with us seven brethren, <|-c.] 
The erroneous notions of the Sadducees led them 
to suppose that if there was a Future State, it 
must in its circumstances resemble the present. 
They therefore come to puzzle our Lord with a 
common-place objection (for it is found in the old 
Jewish writers), derived from that obligation of 



the Mosaic Law that a man should take the wife 
of a brother who had died childless. The case 
which they alleged was just supposeable, and 
therefore might have occurred; but it is much 
more probable that it was invented for the pur- 
pose of cavil, and served as a plausible argument 
to the infidels of the time, to drive away the sub- 
ject of the Resurrection from their minds. This 
method of insinuating against the Truth from 
imaginary difficulties, is a sort of logic of which 
sceptics in all ages have been fhnd. 



294 



THE SADDUCEES ARE CONFUTED. 



8 Though after my skin 
worms destroy this body, 
yet in my flesh shall I see 
God. Job xix. 26. 

Thou wilt not leave My 
soul in hell. Ps. xvi. 10. 

Thy dead men shall 
live, together with My 
dead body shall they arise. 
Isa. xxvi. 19. 

Many of them that 
sleep in the dust of the 
earth shall awake, some 
to everlasting life. Dan. 
xii. 2. 

h By faith Abraham 
sojourned in the land of 
promise as in a strange 
country, dwelling in ta- 
bernacles with Isaac and 
J acob, the heirs with him 

of the same promise 

Wherefore God is not 
ashamed to be called their 
God. Heb.xi. 9 16. 

*— in that He liveth, He 
liveth unto God. Rom. 
vi. 10. 



their generations ; and like them, are the children of God, 
and heirs of eternal glory, being the children of the Resur- 
rection. — But as touching the Resurrection, which you so 
perversely deny, the Scriptures in several places clearly shew 
the reality of a Future States That the dead are indeed 
to be raised, even Moses, to whose authority you appeal, 
shewed (6) at that portion of his writings ivhich treats of the 
Burning Bush. Have ye not read in the second book of 
Moses, how God spake unto him [Have ye not read that 
which was spoken unto you by God, Matt.], saying, I 
am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac* 
and the God of Jacob? (Exod. iii. 6.) When he 
(Moses) calleth the Lord, the God of Abraham, and the 
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, h he in effect decides 
this question: for those patriarclis were dead long before^ 
and manifestly, God is not a God of the dead, — of mere 
lifeless dust and ashes, — but the God of the living ; for all 
the faithful, though dead to the world, continue to live unto 
Him: 1 He is still their God and owns them as His chil- 
dren. Ye therefore do greatly err in denying this plain and 
most important truth. 

Then certain of the Scribes who were of the party of 
the Pharisees, answering, said, Master, thou hast said 
(spoken) well in reference to this matter. And when the 
multitude heard this discussion, they were both gratified and 
astonished at the power of His doctrine in confutation of 
the Saddacees. And after that, they of that sect durst not 
ask Him any question at all. 



(") That the dead are raised, even Moses 
shewed.'] It could not rationally be supposed 
that the Hebrew legislator would withhold from 
the people that knowledge of the doctrine of a 
Future State, which we know was his own sup- 
port and principle of action (see Heb, xi. 23 — 
27) ; but he did not, for wise and obvious rea- 
sons, make that truth the direct and ostensible 
sanction of his national laws. He, and all the 
other patriarchs, unquestionably considered them- 
selves but as sojourners in a foreign country, and 
looked for "a better native land :" and although 
we gratefully acknowledge with the Apostle (2 
Tim. i. 10), that Christ hath " made manifest 1 ' 
(made clear and distinct, Gr.) the expectation of 
Immortality, yet we also believe (as our Church 
declares in her 7th Article) " that, both in the Old 
and New Testament, Everlasting Life is offered 
to mankind by Christ, and that they are not to 
be heard, which feign that the old fathers did look 
only for transitory promises." At least, then, 
up to this point, our Lord's argument in the text 
is triumphant. It has been supposed that He 
intended to prove no more than served the imme- 
diate purpose of reply to the Sadducees, who 
denied even the future existence of the soul; 
confuting them from the writings of Moses whom 
they had cited, and whose inspiration alone they 



acknowledged. But the same thread of argument 
with which He began, leads us by just and clear 
consequences to the Resurrection of the body; for 
it implies that God will make the just perfectly 
and entirely happy. The immortal spirit cannot 
be so, until it is united again with its original com- 
panion. That companion, notwithstanding its 
taint from the fall of Adam, has been ennobled by 
its union with our Lord and elder Brother; and 
hereafter, while remaining substantially the same 
body, it will be incorruptible and spiritual, — not 
only purified, like that of Adam as it came fresh 
from the hands of its Maker, but assimilated to 
the glorious body of Christ. 

(') God is not a God of the dead, <Jfc] A rela- 
tion of some sort is here implied between the 
Almighty and the patriarchs: but there would be 
no relation at all, if those patriarchs had no lon- 
ger any existence. — It is St. Luke who adds the 
clause, that the pious dead "live unto God;'* 
because, writing for Gentile readers, he would 
obviate the heathen notion that men became 
subject to a new dominion after death. Thus 
Virgil: — 

— juvenem exanimum, et nil jam coelestibus 

ullis 
Debentem. 

iEn. xi. 51, 52. 



295 



SECTION CIX. 

Jesus answers a Scribe respecting the first and great Com- 
mandment, AND SILENCES THE PHARISEES BY THE QUESTION. 

Why David called the Messiah his Lord ? 

Matt. xxii. 34—46. Mark xii. 28 — 37. Luke xx. 41—44. 

BUT when the Pharisees had heard that He had put the 
Sadducees to silence, they, although gratified by the 
defeat which their adversaries had sustained, were again 
gathered together to attack Him. Then one of the Scribes, 
which was also a lawyer, came xuith the rest : and at the time 
when Jesus confuted the Sadducees, the Scribe having heard 
them reasoning together, and perceiving that He had an- 
swered them well, asked Jlimnow a question, tempting 3 - Him 3 And when the queen 
(testing His skill in argument and knowledge of the Scrip- Lne o^Soiomor? concem- 
tures), and saying -.—Master, which is the first and great ^ g the n£ T of ±e L ? t d > 

> J J o she came to prove mm 

Commandment (1) of all in the Law? dost thou consider with hard questions. 1 
one of the ceremonial, or one of the moral precepts, to be m °* x ' 
of the higher obligation ? 

And Jesus answered him, The first and most compre- 
hensive of all the Commandments is, — Hear, O Israel, 
the important truth: The Lord our God is One 
Lord : (2) and thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
with thy entire faculties, — with all thy heart, and 
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and 
with all thy strength^ [see Deut. vi. 4, 5): This is 
the first and great Commandment, — the foundation of all 
the rest ; for every other duty and every thing must 
be regarded only in subordination to God, the Great and 
Good Creator. And the second Commandment is like unto 
it, both in its intrinsic excellence and in the authority from 
which it springs; namely this, which comprises all thy b_if there be any other 

duties tO thy fellow Creatures: "THOU SHALT LOVE THY Commandment, it is briefly 

u " comprehended m this sav- 

NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF " b [Lev. XIX. 18): for Charity ing, namely, Thou shalt 

is allied to Piety; and if a man loves his brother whom } & y l e ]t J RoS^ti^. a& 
he has seen, it is an instance and an evidence of his lovinu a]1 ^ e La 7 is ¥" 

_ j o nlled m one -n-ord, even m 

Godivhom he has not seen. There is none other Command- this ; Thou shalt love thy 
ment greater than these: on these two Commandments ^ 5 bourasth > yself - Gal - 



( 1 ) Which is the first and great Command- 
ment?] See Section C, Note 2. 

(*) The Lord our God is One Lord.] These 
words assert a Unity of Essence in the Godhead, 
but by no means preclude the Trinity of Persons. 
Our Lord declares that Jehovah alone is to be 
worshipped, in opposition to the plurality of hea- 
then gods. So St. Paul reminds the Corinthians, 
"that an idol is nothing in the world, and that 
here is none other God but One ; for though 



there be that are called gods, to us there is but 
One God" (1 Cor. viii. 4—6). In further 
proof that our Saviour cannot be excluded, and 
did not intend to exclude Himself, from this Di- 
vinity, consult Section CXX., Note 2. 

( 3 ) Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
thy heart, £c] See Section LXXXIL, Note 1. 

( 4 ) Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.] 
See Section LXXXIL, Note 2. 



296 



CHRIST 3 THE LORD AS WELL AS THE DESCENDANT OF DAVID. 



hang [depend] all the Law and the Prophets — they are an 
epitome of whatsoever else is contained in your Scriptures, 

And the Scribe said unto Him, Well, Master, thou hast 
said the truth : for there is one God, and there is none other 
but He : and for a man to love Him with all the heart, and 
with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with 
all the strength ; and to love his neighbour as himself ; is 
of more importance than all whole burnt-offerings and 
c I desired mercy and sacrifices : c Such a perfect rule of life as this is preferable 
knowiedge fiC oV GodWe in s W ht to al1 the ceremonies in the world. — And when 
than burnt-offerings. Hos. Jesus saw that he answered so discreetly, He said unto 
wm the Lord be pleased him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God; for He 
or^thTn^housL^of knew that sentiments so sound and pious must have a happy 
rivers of oil?— He hath influence over his life, and that they would eventually dis- 

shewed thee, U man, what ^ ^ 

is good, and what doth pose him to embrace the Gospel. 

Sot to 0r dolus\ty> 0 and e to And while He taught in the Temple, and the Pharisees 
hiTrwithlyVod 1 ? were stiU g atnered together, Jesus asked them, saying, 
Mic. vi. 7, a How say the Scribes that the Christ is the Son of David ? 

What think ye of the Christ ? whose Son is He according 
to your view of the Scriptures ? They say unto Him, 
Undoubtedly He is the Son of David. He saith unto them, 
Is that the fullest and most complete description of the Mes- 
d David said, The Spirit siah ? how then in the book of Psalms doth David 
and h Hh°Worrwas b fn my himself, guided by the influence of the Holy Spirit, d call 
^TheHo^holt^spake ^ord? ^ saying, in that particular Psalm (Ps. ex. I) 
by the mouth of David, which you admit to be written of the Messiah, The Lord 

God SAID UNTO MY LORD, SlT ThOU ON My RIGHT 

He' LTh H p Ta?i enfmfes hand, exalted even as Myself in power and glory, till I 
und 25 His feet 1 C ° r " u tterly su °due and make all Thine enemies Thy Foot- 
This Man, after He STOOL. e ( 6 ) Here the royal Prophet acknowledges as a 
fo/sin^ 6 ^ Superior a remote descendant of his own: if David himself 

on the right hand of God; then call Him Lord, — giving Him a title even of divine 

from henceforth expecting . . 

till His enemies be made honour, — how is He merely his Son ? 

His footstool. Heb. x. a j .i i i TT ■ 

i2 } i3. And no man among them was able to answer Him a 

word in reply to this plain proof of His divinity ; neither 
durst any man from that day forth ask Him any more 
captious and insidious questions. — And the common people 
heard Him gladly. 



( 5 ) How then doth David call Him Lord ?] No 
one will ever have better success than the Phari- 
sees in answering this question, who deny the 
Divinity of David's Son and Lord. Jesus was 
both the Hoot and Offspring of His progenitor ; 
the descendant of the most distinguished of the 
kings of Israel according to the flesh, but "Whose 
goings forth had been of old, from everlasting." 
The orthodox scheme can alone solve this seem- 



ing paradox. The question cannot be better 
answered than in the words of inspiration : "My 
soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath 
rejoiced in God my Saviour." 

( 6 ) Till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool."] 
This is an image taken from the practice of 
conquerors of those days, who in token of victory 
placed their foot on the neck of the vanquished. 
See Josh. x. 24. 



297 



SECTION CX. 

Jesus, before quitting the Temple, severely rebukes the 
Scribes and Pharisees. 

Matt, xxiii. 1 — 22. Mark xii. 38 — 40. Luke xx. 45—47. 

THEN spake Jesus in His doctrine unto His disciples, 
in the audience of all the people, saying, The Scribes 
and the Pharisees sit in Moses 5 seat ; they are your lawfully 
appointed rulers, and the authorized interpreters of the 
Law : all, therefore, whatsoever, in their official capacity, 
they bid you to observe, that, so far as it is consistent with 
the Divine Law, carefully observe and do : but do not ye 
after their works, for they say, and do not ; their prac- 
tice accords not with what they teach. Beware, / say, of 
imitating the letter-learned, but hypocritical, Scribes : for, 
lax as they are in regard to the moral precepts, they bind 
heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, a and, on the • Why tempt ye God, 
authority of their traditions, lay them unsparingly on men's ^ c RtL y oScipies°whSh 
shoulders; but they themselves, so far from lightening ^^l^^^ 2 n °Acts 
them, will not move them with one of their fingers. But xv. 10. 
all their works they do with an ostentation of piety, for to 
be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries/ l) and 
enlarge the borders of their garments, crowding them with 
transcripts from the Law, as though they were really more 
anxious to observe its precepts than other men ; which desire 
to walk in long and stately robes ; and love to be honoured, 
as persons of distinction, with the uppermost rooms {places) 
at feasts, and even the highest seats in the synagogues 
ivhere they should be the first to set the example of humility; 
and salutations from passers-by in the markets ; and to be 
worshipfully called of men by that highest title assigned to 
learning, Rabbi, Rabbi. (2 > 

But be not ye anxious to be called Rabbi : for One is 
your Master, even Christ, and ye are all brethren. And 



(*) Phylacteries.] These took their rise from 
a literal, instead of a spiritual, interpretation 
of Exod. xiii. 9, and similar commands. They 
were small scrolls of parchment, with written 
passages from the Law. The intention of the 
Jewish Lawgiver doubtless was (as we find the 
sentiment expressed, Prov. iii. 3) to write the 
commandments "upon the table of the heart." 
— Phylacteries were regarded as amulets, or 
charms, to preserve the wearer from danger, and 
some have thought that the name is hence de- 
rived. 

( 2 ) Rabbi.] This title was the most honour- 
able among the Jews, and it was conferred by 
the Sanhedrim, with imposition of hands, as a 
testimony of the highest erudition. The word 



seems to have signified "a Guide." St. Paul says 
of the Pharisaical teachers, that they were con- 
fident they were "guides of the blind, instructers 
of the foolish, and teachers of babes" (see Rom. ii. 
17 — 20). It was contended that their decisions 
were not to be doubted of, but were to be reputed 
of equal authority with the determinations of the 
Prophets. — Our Lord proceeds to caution His 
disciples against coveting mere titles of honour, 
and those other outward distinctions which He 
rebuked in the Pharisees : the ministers of Christ 
should be distinguished "not so much by their 
dignities, as by their learning ; not only by their 
habit, but their conversation ; not by the adorn- 
ment of their body, but by purity of the mind." 



298 



THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES ARE AGAIN REBUKED. 



b Unto us a child is 
born, unto us a Son is 
given : and His name 
shall be called the Mighty- 
God, the Everlasting Fa- 
ther. Isa. ix. 6. 

— the Son Of man which 
is in Heaven. John hi. 
13. 

c My brethren, be not 
many masters, knowing 
that we shall receive the 
greater condemnation. J as. 
iii. I. 

Not for that we have 
dominion over your faith, 
but are helpers of your 
■jov ; for bv faith ye stand. 
2 Cor. i. 24. 

— neither as being lords 
over God's heritage. 1 
Pet. v. 3. 

d A man's pride shall 
bring him low, but honour 
shall uphold the humble 
in spirit. Prov. xxix. 23. 

All of you be subject 
one to another, and be 
clothed with humility, for 
God resisteth the proud, 
and giveth grace to the 
humble. 1 Pet. v. 5. 

e Woe unto them that 
decree unrighteous de- 
crees, that -widows may 
be their prey. Isa. x. 1, 
2. 

Of this sort are they 
which creep into houses, 
and lead captive silly wo- 
men. 2 Tim. iii. 6. 

— who subvert whole 
houses, teaching things 
which they ought not, for 
filthy lucre's sake. Tit. 
i. 11. 



f Let them alone : they 
be blind leaders of the 
blind. Matt. xv. 14. 



in respect to your faith, call no man upon the earth 
(no merely-human or uninspired teacher) your father : (3 
for One is your Father, — even that Divine Triune Being 
which is in heaven, 0 — to whom alone you owe an absolute 
subjection ; and no man must be allowed to control your 
religious principles, as a parent sways the will of its child. 
Neither be ye called masters/ for One is your Master, 
even Christ; from whom you receive, as stewards, what 
you communicate to others, and you have no right to that 
absolute power over the faith of others, which a master exer- 
cises over his servant. But he that is greatest, and most 
distinguished as God's minister, among you, shall be as your 
servant, and remarkable for his humility as much as for 
his zeal. And whosoever, in any of these ways, shall seek 
to exalt himself, shall, as I have so often told you, be at last 
abased ; and he that shall humble himself, shall be truly 
exaited. d 

But woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! 
for, by your traditions and false interpretations of the 
Sc?*iptures,ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; 
for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that 
are entering into if, to go in. Woe unto you, Scribes and 
Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye devour widov/s houses/ — 
consuming all their little property and leading them captive to 
your will ; and for a pretence (a show of devotion) ye make 
very long prayers : therefore ye shall receive the greater 
damnation ;fof such hypocrisy cannot impose on an all-seeing 
God. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites i 
for ye compass sea and land, — leaving no arts unpractised 
to make one proselyte (4 ) to your false doctrines ; and so 
detestable is your system, that when he is made, ye make 
him two -fold more the child of hell (more deserving of 
eternal punishment) than yourselves. 

Again; to serve your own base aims, what false and 
senseless distinctions ye have drawn respecting oaths — making 
the commandment of God of none effect through your tra- 
dition. Woe unto you, ye blind guides/ which Who- 
soever shall swear by the Temple, it is nothing — that such 
an oath as this is not at all obligatory, and a matter but of 
trifling moment : but whosoever shall swear by the gold 



( 3 ) Call no man upon the earth your father.} 
The J ews so termed the Rabbis, who were chiefs 
of their schools, and they swore by their names. 
— In another sense, however, those are rightly 
called fathers, who have " begotten us in the Gos- 
pel;" see 1 Cor. iv. 15, where St. Paul shews the 
nature of such paternity. The " sons of the Pro- 
phets" are the disciples of the Prophets (2 Kings 
ii. 5 and 12).— See Section LXXXIIL, Note 9. 

( 4 ) Ye compass sea and land to make one pro- 
selyte.} The eagerness of the Jews to make pro- 



selytes seems to have become proverbial even 
among the Romans. Horace says in his Satires 
(lib. ii., Sat. V. 143), 

■ "ac veluti te 

Judaei cogemus in hanc concedere turbam." 

What our Lord says of these proselytes is re- 
markably confirmed in one of the Dialogues of 
Justin Martyr, where he says, they were not only 
unbelievers, but proved twice as blasphemous and 
persecuting as the Jews themselves. 



THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES ARE AGAIN REBUKED. 299 

deposited in the treasury of the Temple, he is a debtor, 
and is religiously bound to perform that oath. Ye 
fools and blind guides : for whether is greater s and more * For men verily swear 

f 7 • 7 7 ✓> • , . n by the greater; and an 

sacred, the gold, which before its presentation for re- oath for confirmation is to 
ligious uses is but a piece of metal, or the Temple that ^ £ ^ * ail strife, 
sanctifieth the gold? And so again, ye say, Whosoever 
shall swear by the Altar it is nothing ; but whosoever 
sweareth by the gift that is offered upon it, he is guilty, if 
he dares to break that oath. Ye fools and blind guides: for 
whether is greater, the gift, or the Altar of God that 
sanctifieth the gift ? It is evident why you encourage swear- 
ing by such things, claiming for them a higher sanctity : 
the gifts which are in consequence brought to the Altar, and 
the gold deposited in the treasury, are not devoted to the 
service of God alone ; they are made to swell the gains 
of your corrupt priesthood. I tell you that all oaths, when h ^ tave surely built 
it is proper to make such solemn appeals, are to be strictly Thee an House to dwell 
observed; and that which is sworn by any created thing Thee a to ahide hi for ever. 
whatsoever, is in effect an appeal to the Deity who made 1 ^^v^tSowed this 
it. Whoso therefore shall swear by the Altar, sweareth House which thou hast 
by it, and by all things laid thereon, and so by the therefor JJer; and Ee 
Eternal Jehovah, to ivhom the offering is made. And whoso 2^uL^JX 
shall swear by the Temple, sweareth by it, and by Him i Kings ix. 3. 
that in an especial manner dwelleth therein. h And he * Thus saith the Lord, 
that shall swear, as you so often profanely do, by Heaven, ^£i^ MM ' yfllI ' oinB ' 
sweareth by nothing less than the throne of the most High io ^^\^%^ ^rone' 
God, and so by Him that sitteth thereon. 1 Matt. v. 34. 



SECTION CXI. 

Jesus applauds the charity of the poor Widow who cast her 
all into the treasury. 

Mark xii. 41 — 44. Luke xxi. 1 — 4. 

AND Jesus sat in the Women's Court of the Temple, over a Thou , shalt kee P fte 

, " 11 f east °* unleavened bread : 

against the lreasury, where the chests were placed And none shall appear be. 

to collect the voluntai*y contributions of worshippers who ^dh.Yl. empty " Exod ' 

came to the feast. And he looked up, and beheld how But Jehoiada the priest 

* rry to °k a cnest > an d bored a 

the people cast money into the Treasury : a C 1 ) and He saw hole in the lid of it, and 

j I • i . • • , -1 • • Ci_ j /. ,7 . set it beside the Altar. 

trie rich men casting m their gilts, and many of them cast And the priests that kept 

in much ^ e ^ oor th ere hi all 

the money that was 

And there came a certain poor widow ; and she threw brought into the house of 

in thither two mites, (2) which make a Roman farthing. AoA "ail the^rmceTand 



(}) The Treasury.} The women's court was 
also called the Treasury, because of the thirteen 
chests there affixed to the pillars for offerings at 
the three great feasts. The money was intended 
for the service of the Altar, and for such neces- 
saries as were not otherwise provided for. 



(* 2 ) Tzoo mites.] These were small brass coins, 
two of them together not being more than three 
fourths of our farthing, and making up the small- 
est sum allowed to be given. The English word 
"■mite^ is a contraction of "minute," as "far* 
thing'' 1 is of "fourthing." 



300 THE CHARITY OF THE POOR WIDOW COMMENDED. 



all the people brought in, And He, knowing exactly what she and others had respec- 

and cast into the chest. . . 7 111 , tt» tt* t • i 1 -,1 

2 Chron. xxiv. lo. lively given, called unto mm His disciples, and saith unto 
them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath 
cast in to the sacred chest more, in the sight of God and in 
proportion to her means, than all they which have cast so 
t> To their power 1 bear profusely into the Treasury. For all these did cast in of 

record, yea, and beyond , , , „ . » 

their power they were their abundance [of their superfluity) unto the offerings 
ForS^hL^b^fiJsTa wli °f God, for the service of His Temple : but she of her 
ling mind it is accepted pe nury b did cast in all that she had,( 3 > — even all her means 

according to that a man r . / J 

hath. 2 Cor. via. 3, 12. of living for the day. 



SECTION CXII. 

Jesus, on finally quitting the Temple, foretells its total 
destruction; and at the Mount of Olives, declares the 
signs which would precede His coming to take vengeance 
on the Jews. 

Matt. xxiv. 1 — 28, 40, 41. Mark xiii. 1—23. Luke xxi. 5 — 24. 

AND Jesus went out of the Treasury, and departed from 
the Temple. And His disciples came to Him for to 
shew {to point out to) Him the stately buildings and porticoes 
of the Temple. And as some spake how it was adorned 
within with costly gifts hung upon its walls, and without with 
goodly stones (1) of the whitest marble and of an unusual size, 
one of them saith unto Him, Master, see what manner of 
stones and what buildings are here ! And Jesus answering 
said unto them, See ye not these great buildings, — stupendous 
works of maris art as they certainly are? Verily I say unto 
you, As for all these great things which ye behold, the days 
will come, even before this generation has passed away, in the 



( 3 ) Cast in all that she had.] Of this fact our 
Lord's Omniscience informed Him, as well of the 
particular sum cast in — a proof that there was 
"nothing hid from Him." His knowledge of the 
heart is also seen in the praise bestowed on this 
action, shewing us that it was done from no other 
motive than dependence on Providence and the 
Divine Promises. 

(!) Adorned with gifts and with goodly stones.] 
Tacitus speaks of the immense opulence of the 
Jewish Temple (Hist. v. 8), and Dion Cassius 
describes it (lib. 36) as " the greatest and most 
beautiful of all Temples." Among its treasure 
was a Golden Table given by Pompey, and seve- 
ral Golden Vines of great size and exquisite work- 
manship. — Of the exterior Josephus says that 
the marble was so white as to give it the appear- 
ance at a distance of a snow mountain, while the 
gilding in many parts rendered it a beautiful 
spectacle, and, when the sun was upon it, daz- 
zling to behold. Its Eastern portion (from which 
our Saviour was now proceeding to the Mount of 



Olives) overlooked the valley, having a stupen- 
dous wall raised from its bottom, 450 feet high, 
and containing blocks of stone of a magnitude 
that might well excite the admiration of behold- 
ers. The Jewish historian notices these blocks 
both in his Antiquities and the Jewish War% 
and though the accounts of ancient authors vary 
as to their exact size, they were, according to the 
lowest calculations, more than forty feet in length, 
eight or nine in height, and fourteen in breadth. 
Ancient heathen writers have left us some ac- 
counts of the dimensions of the stones used in 
their finest buildings, but none are said to have 
exceeded thirty-five feet in length. Immense 
stones have been since discovered among the 
ruins of Egyptian Temples on the Nile, but the 
largest of these has not exceeded thirty feet in 
length. — Upon entering Jerusalem, after a siege 
of nearly five months, it is recorded that Titus 
looked up at the towers which the Jews had 
abandoned, and exclaimed, " Surely we have had 
God for our assistant ; for what could human 
hands or machines do against these towers ?' 



THE SIGNS PRECEDING THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 



301 



which there shall not be left here one stone upon another^ 

that shall not be thrown down a from its place. ed*af a field jSS" 

And as He sat upon the Mount of OHves, b whither they lem shall become heaps. 

had now proceeded — which celebrated Mount stood over Mlc * m ' 12, 

against the Temple on the East, so as to command a mag- fee b t than^fin^&al 

niiicent view of its buildings and of the entire city — the con- day upon the Mount of 

J . • i -it iTi i-7 0 lives > which is before 

fidential disciples, reter, and James, and John, and with Jerusalem on the east. 

them Andrew, came unto Him privately, saying : Master, Zech ' X1V " 4- 

tell us when shall these fearful things be? And what 

shall be the sign of Thy Coming to execute these things, 

and of the end of the world/ 3 ) which is to follow when 

all these things shall be fulfilled ? 

And Jesus answering them, began to say, All those 

events, which tend to disturb public tranquillity and private 

comfort, shall be precursors of My Coming. First of all, 

deceivers shall go forth : take heed therefore that no man * Let D0 man deceive 

,. „ -. , , in y° n °y an y means « for 

deceive you. c r or, after My departure, many snail come that day shall not come, 

in My name M (pretending to My authority), saying, I am «** ZT» n£ 

the Christ, and the time of your redemption draweth near ; 3 - 

and by that pretence they shall deceive many, d causing them d But there was a cer- 

, „ 7 ., , r r. ,<\ tain man called Simon, 

to err from the truth : go ye not therefore alter them. w hi c h before time in the 

Then said He nnto them, The signs which are next to S^fL^e 

follow shall be great commotions among nations, and signal of Samaria, giving out 

• 7 , y • 7 . 7 n A ■-, t*.t • tQat hi m s el f wa s some 

judgments proceeding more immediately jrom God: JNation Great One: to whom 

shall rise against nation, and kingdom against king- SeJeSt to V the ^ eateS 

dom. But when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of sayin g> This man is the 

» great power ot God. Acts 

wars (5 > and those commotions which accompany a state of viii. 9, 10. 



( 8 ) There shall not be left here one stone upon 
another. ,] The Saviour's memorable prediction of 
the utter destruction of Jerusalem was literally 
fulfilled in this, as in every other particular. — So 
many minute circumstances could never have 
been predicted, except by a true Prophet ; and 
their exact fulfilment would never have be- 
come known, unless it had pleased Providence 
to preserve us a complete commentary upon it, 
in the detail of the Siege by Josephus ; who was 
in the Roman camp, who was not a Christian, 
and it is most likely had never heard of the pre- 
diction. St. Matthew and St. Mark were cer- 
tainly dead, and probably also St. Luke, before 
the Siege took place ; and St. John (the only 
Evangelist who is known to have survived) left 
no record of it, so that it cannot be said the pro- 
phecy was forged after the event. — The magnifi- 
cent Temple was destroyed on the same day of 
the same month on which Solomon's Temple had 
been rased to the ground by the Babylonians. 
Titus, having summoned a council of his generals, 
determined to save it as an ornament to the em- 
pire, and a trophy of his victory ; but One greater 
than Titus had declared that it should be des- 
troyed, and the soldiers suddenly set fire to it in 
their fury. The Roman general afterwards or- 
dered the foundations to be dug up in search of 
buried treasure, so that thus " not one stone was 
left upon another;" and one of his officers (whom 
Maimonides, a Jewish writer, expressly names as 



Turnus, otherwise Terentius, Rufus) carried out 
the order by using a plough-share. Thus was 
another memorable prediction literally fulfilled, 
and "Zion was ploughed as afield" (Mic. iii. 12). 

( 3 ) The end of the world.] The Original may 
certainly be also understood here, " the end of 
the Age but that rendering is not material, for 
the Apostles and early Christians connected these 
events, and it is almost universally allowed that 
our Lord's reply referred at its close to the final 
termination of all things. 

( 4 ) Many shall come in My name.} Such 
were (as we learn from Origen, adv. Cels.) 
Simon Magus, who pretended he was the Son of 
God; and Dositheus, the Samaritan, who affirmed 
that he was "the Christ foretold by Moses." And 
Josephus speaks of many others, whom "the 
time of the advent of their King Messias pre- 
vailed with to set up for kings." 

( 5 ) Wars and rumours of wars.] At the time 
of this prophecy the Empire was in a state of 
peace : but before the destruction of Jerusalem, 
the most violent agitations universally prevailed. 
Four emperors (Nero, Galba, Otho, and Vitel- 
lius) suffered violent deaths in the short space of 
eighteen months; and, in consequence of the 
strife of parties and the changes in the govern- 
ment, the whole civilized world became convulsed. 
Tacitus says of this period, "Totius orbis muia- 
tione for tuna imperii transiit." 



3J2 THE SIGNS PRECEDING THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 

anarchy, see that ye be not troubled or terrified ; for all 
these things must first come to pass : but the end of the 
e —which great dearth Jewish state is not even then yet come. And there shall be 
of cLudi^Csess^ 6 Acts famines,* 5 and pestilences, and great earthquakes (6) in divers 
X1 - 28, places, and troubles : and fearful sights, and great signs shall 

there be from heaven of more dreadful judgments to come. 
iaid^mLy\ e Si P t ey upon All these thing $ are only the beginnings of sorrows (as it 
them, they cast them into were f ne fi rs f labour-panqs, Gr.), — a prelude to the national 

prison. Acts xvi. 23. . . n . 

misery which shall follow. 
phen An A*s e vii to 59 d Ste ' But take heed to yourselves : the next signs which are 
thfbroSe^o^Sn^S to follow will be grievous persecutions, and consequent apos- 
tle sword. Acts xh. 2. tacies, of those who have embraced the Gospel ; for before 
i» And, on the morrow, all these things they shall lay their hands on you, and 

when Agrippa was come, , j v • -i i . 

Paul was brought forth, persecute you, delivering you up to councils, and to the 

AC And X when Gaiiio was synagogues, and casting you into prisons, to be beaten f and 

the deputy of Achaia, the afflicted in various other ways: and they shall even kill some 

with one accord against of you iS and ye shall be hated of all nations, and brought 

fhTjMgLnTS! ^AcS Defore kin g s and rulersh for M 7 name ' s sake > for a testimony 
xviii - 12 - against them that the Kingdom of God has been offered in 

1 striving together for vain for their acceptance : and to you it shall turn for a tes- 

the faith of the Gospel, and ,. i j? nj t± t> a. ±x. t. n i j i 

in nothing terrified by trmony 1 o/ your fidelity. — Uut when tney snail lead you and 

to££^tet^2 deliver y° u u p to the rulers > settle {t in y° ur hearts not to 

perdition ; ^ut to you of meditate before what ye shall answer to their accusations 
and questions : take no anxious thought beforehand what 
mouth, W and b teach h thee y e s h au " speak; but whatsoever shall be given and sug- 
Exod iv^ shalt Say ' 9 es t e d t° y ou m that hour, that speak ye : for it is not ye 
, ' , ' that speak from your own wisdom, but the Holy Ghost (7) 

1 And they were not r J v . / 

able to resist the wisdom speaketh in you. For I will give you a mouth (a power to 
phen S spaL by Ac^rvi. S io! plead) and wisdom, k which all your adversaries, powerful 
The Lord stood with an ^ suo fi e thouqh they may be, shall not be able to gainsay 

me and strengthened me. ° a o ? o j 

2 Tim. iv. 17. nor resist. 1 And then, when persecution cometh, shall 



( 6 ) Famines, and pestilences, and great earth- 
quakes, fyc.~\ Four famines occurred in the reign 
of Claudius. That in the fourth year of his reign 
is spoken of by Eusebius as having oppressed 
Palestine more than any other part of the empire, 
which we find confirmed at Acts xi. 28. Jose- 
phus, alluding to the same, says that "many of 
the Jews perished during its continuance for lack 
of food." Tacitus, and also Suetonius (in Clau- 
dio, cap. 18), mention this famine. — Of various 
pestilences in the Jewish cities, Josephus speaks, 
as having been brought on them by God. — Of 
earthquakes, which were always regarded by the 
ancients as portents presaging great, public cala- 
mity, many are reckoned up during the reigns of 
Claudius and Nero as occurring in Judea, and in 
other places where Jews lived. (See accounts in 
Seneca, Suetonius, and Tacitus.) — Of "fearful 
sights and great signs from heaven," minute 
particulars are also given by two of the same 
eminent historians, whose narratives cannot be 
thought partial, however extraordinary the events 
they state : Josephus, in the seventh book of his 
J ewishWar, thus reckons up " the prodigies which 
manifestly portended the future desolation of the 



Jews : — There was a comet which pointed down 
upon the city in the form of a fiery sword. Not 
long after the feast-days, there was seen a vision 
beyond all belief ; and perhaps what I am going 
to relate might seem a fable, if some were not 
now alive who beheld it, and if the subsequent 
calamity had not been worthy of such a presage : 
for, before the sun set, there were seen in the 
clouds, chariots and armies in battle array, pass- 
ing along, and investing the city. And upon the 
feast of Pentecost, at night, the priests, going 
into the inner Temple to attend their usual ser- 
vice, first felt the place move and tremble, and 
then heard a voice saying, Let us depart hence!'*'' 
The Roman historian Tacitus, thus epitomizes 
the same extraordinary events in the fifth book 
of his History : "Armies seemed to meet in the 
clouds ; weapons were seen glittering ; the Tem- 
ple seemed to be in flame with fire which issued 
from the clouds ; and a more than human voice 
was heard 'That the Gods were quitting the 
place,'' while there was a great motion as of their 
departure." 

(7) It is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.] 
See Section LIX., Note 6. 



THE SIGNS PRECEDING THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 



303 



many professing and lukewarm Christians be offend ed m and m When tribulation or 

fall away, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one causer the Wordjby and 

another, — the apostates betraying and hating those who are offended. Matt. 
true. Now, ivhen this day of trial shall arrive, the unbe- 

ii %m n Tn e son dishonoured 

lieving brother shall betray the brother to death ; (8 J and the the father, the daughter 

unbelieving father, the son; and children shall rise up a man^enemTes are" 

against their believing parents, and shall cause them to be put ^-j c m ^ ° 6 f his own house ' 
to death. 11 And even ye, the ministers of My Gospel, shall 

, 1 . . . , J . . . J , , . V™ 0 The world hath hated 

be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, them, because they are 

and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put ? ot a m ?i w A™i" 

to death. And ye shall be hated of all men (men of all Johnxvii. 14. 

nations) among whom ye preach the Gospel, for My name^s » But the very hairs 

sake. 0 'But, whatever judgments fall on others, ye shall con- berSTpear ye not, theri 

tinue safe; there shall not an hair of your head perish.P for ^eySaU never perish 

In your patience possess ye your souls (ye shall preserve neither shall any man 

7- n \ a i • j tj. • # , 7 7 7 ,, pluck them out of Mv 

your lives, Cjr.). And, in addition to the pretended Mes- hand. John x. 28. 

siahs of whom I spake, many false prophets (9 ' shall rise, 0 * q Before these days rose 

pretending that they have received a divine commission to "P Jheudas, boasting him- 

* . se " to De somebody. Acts 

deliver the people from the Roman yoke, and shall deceive v. 38. 

\ ii . . -., 7 ^ p — if another shall come 

many. And because iniquity and the fierceness of persecu- - m his own name, him ye 

Hon shall then abound, the love of the many, both towards ^™ ce ™; e J ^ r n e \f e 

Me and towards one another, shall wax cold. r But he that prophets also among the 

shall persevere in the faith and endure unto the end, the pe Many 2 deceivers are 

same shall be saved. the ™ rW ' 

And before Jerusalem is destroyed, notwithstanding these t Nowtha Spirit speak 

persecutions and the general apostacy which will follow, this eth expressly, that in the 

Gospel of the Kingdom of God shall rirst be preached in all p^irS^M^^vtog 

the world, *< u ) for a witness unto all nations of the Truth, hee 1 d , to facing spirits, 

' J and doctrines ol devils. 
1 Tim. iv. 1. — All men forsook me. 2 Tim. iv. 16. — Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the 
manner of some is. Heb. x. 25. 

» Eear none of those things .... Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. Rev. ii. 10. 

1 Their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. Rom. x. 18. — which 
Gospel is come unto you, as it is in all the world. Col. i. 6. — And I saw another angel fly in the midst of 

heaven, having the Everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and 
kindred, and tongue, and people. Rev. xiv. 6. 



( 8 ) The brother shall betray the brother to death. ] 
Josephus states, that "contention sprang up in 
their very houses and Tacitus, that in the per- 
secution under Nero, "Christians were delivered 
up by their parents, brethren, kinsfolk, friends." 

( 9 ) False prophets.} Such were, Theudas, "a 
magician, who said he was a prophet and could 
divide the Jordan, and deceived many ;" and 
Barchochebas, an Egyptian, who was followed by 
about thirty thousand of the Jews. In accord- 
ance with the terms of this prediction, Josephus 
says, " The whole land was overrun with magi- 
cians, seducers, and impostors, who drew the 
people after them in multitudes into solitudes 
and deserts (see Matt. xxiv. 26'),to see the signs 
and miracles, which to the last they promised to 
shew by the power of God." 

( 10 ) He that shall endure unto the end, the same 
shall be saved.] We know from Ecclesiastical 
History (Euseb. Hist. iii. 5), that few, if any, of 
the Christians perished in the siege. At the very 
commencement of the War they abandoned the 
city.— Cestus Gallus, the president of Syria, first 
took possession of the lower city ; " and had he 



attempted," observes Josephus (B. J. ii. 19), "to 
get within the walls, he would have won the city 
presently. He retired without any reason in the 
world ; for he might have put an end to the war 
that very day. Doubtless this conduct of the 
Roman general, so contrary to all the rules of 
prudence, was brought to pass by the superin- 
tending Providence of God." 

( n ) Preached in all the world.] From the 
most credible records it appears that the Gospel 
was preached by St. Jude in Idumea, Mesopota- 
mia, and Syria ; in Egypt and Africa, by Mark, 
Simon, and Jude ; in Ethiopia, by the converted 
Eunuch and Matthias ; in Pontus, Galatia, and 
the neighbouring parts of Asia, by Peter ; in the 
territories of the seven Asiatic Churches, by 
John ; in Parthia, by Matthew ; in Scythia, by 
Philip and Andrew ; in the northern and western 
parts of Asia, by Bartholomew ; in Persia 3 by 
Simon and Jude ; in Media aud several parts of 
the East, by Thomas; through the vast tract 
"from Jerusalem round about into Illyricum" 
by Paul. This Apostle was also in Greece and 
Italy, very probably in Spain and Gaul, and, we 



304 



THE SIGNS PRECEDING THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 



and of the obstinacy and iniquity of the Jews in rejecting 
it. And then at last shall the end come. 

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with the 
Roman armies, and the abomination of desolation (12) {the 
idolatrous standard of that desolating people) spoken of 
n — the abomination that by Daniel the prophet, standing 11 where it ought not, in 

maketh desolate, set up. , , , , . . „ 

Dan. xii. li. tne noly place, — even within the immediate precincts of the 

holy city, (Whoso readeth, let him weigh that memorable 
prediction so as to understand it,) then know that the deso- 
lation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea 
profit by this warning, and flee without delay to the moun- 
* Escape for thy life ; tains v (13) beyond Jordan ; and let them which are in the 

ther steV^u^aU "the m idst of it (within the doomed city), depart out: and let 

plain ; escape to the moun- not them that are in the countries adjacent, enter there- 
tain, lest thou be consura- . ° y 

ed. Gen. xix. 17. into. And, as I before warned you, let him that is engaged 
on the house-top not go down into the house, neither 
enter therein, to take anything, however valued it may be, 
out of his house : but let him escape by the outer steps without 
a moment's lingering. And let him that is labouring in 
the field, not turn back again for to take up his garment. 
But the Providence of God shall remarkably interpose for 
the preservation of those faithful followers who cannot pro- 

" And tb.6 IiOrd. slj&ll u ± 

scatter thee among 

a u vide for their own safety : — Then shall two men be labour- 

L?earrett°unto nd th1 ™9 in the fieid 5 ^ °™ shali be fcaken h V * ^ and 

other. _^Deut. xxviii. 64. the other left to make his escape: two women shall be 
of the land which i have grinding at the mill ; the one shall be in like manner taken, 

WZe Si have and the other left - For these be the da Y s of vengeance on 
lowed for My name, will the guilty portion alone of the Jewish nation, that all things 

I cast out of My sight, 7 „ ~ 7 . „ 

and Israel shall be a pro- which are written in the Prophets from the time of Moses, 
IJSX^ may be fulfilled w 
i win gather ail nations J3 ut wce to (alas for) them that are with child, and to 

against Jerusalem to bat- v \ 1 7 

tie; and the city shall them that give suck m those dreadful days ! for their help- 
he taken, and the houses 7 . 77 , .t • jj • /» • 

rifled, and the women ra- less situation will prevent their fleeing from the impending 

<^£mK££ «#. And v™y y e that y our fli s ht be not in the 

tivity. Zech. xiv. 2. when the days will be shortened, and the roads unfavourable 



may add also with great probability, Britain ; for 
Clemens, his contemporary, declares (Ep. ad Cor. 
20), that " the nations beyond the ocean were go- 
verned by the precepts of the Lord." — History, 
in fact, abundantly warrants the assertion that 
the Gospel has been generally preached through- 
out the world : in some countries it has been re- 
jected ; in many where it once flourished, it has 
been corrupted or lost ; but still " God hath 
called the world from the rising up of the sun unto 
the going down thereof" (Ps. I. 1). See Section 
LII., Note 3. 

( 12 ) The abomination of desolation.] The re- 
presentations of Caesar, and of the eagle, on the 
Roman standards were worshipped by the sol- 
diers of that nation, and thus were, in Hebrew 
phraseology, "an abomination."— With equal 
propriety is their army described by the word 
"desolation." They plundered and devastated 



without mercy, and, to use the indignant expres- 
sion of a hostile chieftain, " Where they have 
made a desert, they call it peace " (Speech of 
Galgacus, Tacitus ; Life of Agricola 30). — They 
planted their standards before Jerusalem, several 
furlongs of land around which were accounted 
holy. The Temple was more particularly called 
" the holy place" (Acts vi. 13) ; and on the cap- 
ture of the city, this prediction was fulfilled to 
the letter ; for the Romans brought " the Eagles" 
into the Temple and sacrificed to them there. 
Out of respect to Jewish scruples, they had 
always before been left at Cesarea by the Roman 
governors. 

( 13 ) Flee to the mountains."] The Christians 
for the most part fled to the mountainous country 
of Persea, and took refuge in Pella, a city there. 
This was in the territory of Agrippa, who had re- 
mained faithful to the Romans. 



THE CALAMITIES WHICH SHOULD BEFALL THE UNBELIEVING JEWS. 305 



for the journey ; neither on the Sabbath-day, ^ when the x Afte 1 r <a ™% e ™ an , rl 

■' * y. m m j% tNV0 w eeks shall Messiah 

indignation of the Jews toould be excited against you for what be cut off, but not for 

they would term its violation. For in those days there shall 5' &f f priuc e d that 9 S 

indeed be great tribulation and distress in the land, x and ™™ e ; n f ^ e d ^ a J e . 

wrath upon this people, — such as was not from the begin- and the end thereof shall 

. , . , . , / - 1 , . , be with a flood, and unto 

nmg of the creation which Crod created unto this time ; no, the en d of the war de- 

nor ever shall be againJ ^ s *£ 0 £ ™ determined. 

And they (the unbelievers) shall fall in great numbers by y be 

the edge of the sword, and those that survive shall be led of trouble, such as never 

awpy captive z (16) into all nations : and Jerusalem shall be nation^ven to7hJ&lmt 

trodden down and remain in possession of the Gentiles, a < 17} ^'d^of '^kness and 

of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness. There hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any 
more after it, even to the years of many generations. Joel ii. 2. 

* Ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen. Deut. xxviii. 68. 

a It is given unto the Gentiles; and the Holy City shall they tread under foot. Rev. xi. 2. 



(* 4 ) Neither on the Sabbath-day.] The dis- I 
tance allowed for a Sabbath-day's journey was | 
about five furlongs, which is supposed to have been 
the distance between the Camp and the Taber- 
nacle. The gates of all Jewish towns were 
strictly closed on that day. Pompey and Sosius 
each took advantage of the Sabbatical rest to 
attack and storm the city. — From this passage 
it appears that there is to be a conjunction of our 
own endeavours with the Divine Aid for our pre- 
servation, which we are not to expect immedi- 
ately from God, without the use of those means 
which He puts into our own power. Also we 
learn, that when tribulations come by Divine per- 
mission, the circumstances which attend them 
may be mitigated by our prayers. 

( 15 ) Nor ever shall be.] This is only a fami- 
liar way of expressing a very great calamity. 
Josephus however says that " No other city ever 
suffered such things ; All the calamities which 
have ever happened to any from the beginning, 
seem not comparable to those which befell the 
Jews." He records, among other dreadful atro- 
cities, that a mother killed and ate her own child, 
thus fulfilling the words of Moses, Deut. xxviii. 
56, 57 ; also of Jeremiah, Lam. iv. 10. 

( 16 ) Fall by the edge of the sword, and be led 
away captive.] Eleven hundred thousand are 
said to have perished in the siege, besides many 
thousands put to the sword in other towns during 
the war. Five hundred were crucified daily be- 
fore the walls, till materials, and even room for 
the crosses, could not be found. Within the city 
the fury of opposing factions was so great, that 
they filled all places, even the Temple itself, with 
continual slaughters : and to such a pitch did 
their madness carry them, that they destroyed 
the very granaries of corn which should have sus- 
tained them, and burnt the magazines of arms 
provided for their defence. Well might it be said, 
that unless a limited period had been assigned, the 
whole nation would have been exterminated! — 
Upon the destruction of the city, ninety-seven 
thousand were taken captive. Of these, some were 
reserved for triumph, some sent to Egypt to work 
in mines, and some destroyed by beasts in the 
Roman amphitheatres ; but the greater part were 
sold for slaves (according to the prediction of 
Moses) at the vilest prices, for thirty could be 
bought for a piece of silver. So completely were 
the Slave-markets glutted, that on one occasion 
eleven thousand captives were left to perish from 
hunger. Ever since, the Jews have been a sign 



to all nations ; "an astonishment, a proverb, and 
a by- word ;" separate in language, in manners, in 
religion, and in appearance, from all those with 
whom they are concerned in the daily transac- 
tions of life ; strangers and foreigners in the land 
to which, by birth and long occupation, they belong. 
Go where you will, and in every nation under 
heaven, in the East and in the West, in the 
North and in the South, you will behold the 
face of some exiled Israelite fulfilling in his 
destiny the prophecy of the Lord. They have 
been left without either God or man for their 
king, — a distinct people without any government 
at all of their own, an event quite unparalleled 
in the history of nations ! 

And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of 
the Gentiles.] The whole land was sold by Ves- 
pasian to such Gentiles as chose to settle there. 
The emperor Adrian rebuilt the city, giving it 
the name of JEWa, ; but no Jew was permitted to 
enter or approach it. In after times the apostate 
emperor Julian, sensible that the accomplishment 
up to that time of our Lord's memorable pre- 
diction had made a great impression on the Gen- 
tiles, determined to deprive Christianity of this 
support by bringing the Jews back to their own 
land, allowing them the exercise of their religion 
and a form of civil government. Accordingly, 
preparations were commenced on a large scale for 
rebuilding the Temple ; but the workmen, after 
repeated efforts, were driven back by balls of fire 
issuing from the earth.. This fact is attested by a 
heathen historian, and by a Jew, as well as by 
Chrysostom among the Greeks, and Ambrose 
among the Latins. The emperor's own letter 
addressed to the community of the Jews, and 
inviting them to return, is also extant among his 
works. — Since the fall of the Eastern Empire, 
Jerusalem (except for eighty-eight years after the 
first Crusade) has been under the government of 
Mahommedans, and a Turkish mosque to this 
day pollutes the site of the Temple of God. It is 
said that " the golden gate" (as it is called) of this 
Mosque is incessantly and watchfully guarded, 
for there are Turks who believe that by it the 
Christians will one day enter, and that the Crescent 
and banner of their prophet will be removed. The 
modern city has still a somewhat imposing appear- 
ance, as seen from the Mount of Olives, but on en- 
tering, the illusion vanishes : it has no squares ; the 
streets are narrow, the buildings mean ; and we 
may exclaim with Jeremiah, (Lam. i. 6.) " From 
the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed." 



306 



THE ELECT FOREWARNED AGAINST FALSE MESSIAHS. 



b if the casting away until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. b And when 

of them be the reconciling , 77777. 77 a-* 

of the world, what shall these are all called in, and the purposes of God respecting 
STtMfefi^ g the f dSd!.I ,e other nations have thus had their full accomplishment, He 
Blindness in part is hap- w ill remember His ancient people in mercy, and once more 

pened to Israel until the -* * . n 

fulness of the Gentiles be collect the scattered sheep of Israel, making one fold under 
come in. Rom. xi. lo, 25. me g ne pherd. c — And except that the Lord had mercifully 

* Them that are car- j i „ ni » 

ried away captive of shortened those davs of vengeance, no flesh throughout the 
to tSs w 1 ; b a n nT i* wdi nation should » e saved : but, for the Elect's sake/ those 
build them and not puii faithful Christians whom He hath chosen, together with 

them down, and 1 will _ . 

plant them and not pluck the remnant of the Jews preserved as monuments of His 

^Behold /win Take 5 ihe grace* — those days shall be shortened. 

children of Israel from Wlierefore, as all these things shall surely come to pass, 

among the heathen whi- ... u v 

tier they be gone, and it will be in vain for this unhappy people to look for any 

^^rhving^emiSo miraculous deliverance from them. And then if any man 

^^shanwte sha11 sa Y •» 5™> Lo, here is the Christ; or Lo,'He is 

shepherd. Ezek. xxxvii. there ; believe him not. f For, as I told you, false Christs 

d Ye are a chosen gene- and false prophets shall rise, and shall pretend to shew great 

uSiM? h ° ly nati ° n " s ^S ns and wonders:? insomuch that, if it were possible 

e And the residue of f or them to succeed after these warnings, and if the power 

the people shall not be cut 0 f Christ were not greater than the power of Satan, thev 

off from the city. Zech. J * X -i 

xiv. 2. shall deceive the very Elect. But take ve heed : behold 

every tSt' buf e ,S SJ 1 haye foretold T ou (forewarned you of) all things." 

S 5 ir ^ d wh ^ her ™ e Wherefore if they shall point out to you the very spot 

false °prophets U a.re ™one where the pretended deliverer may be found, and shall say 

ZiJT.** W ° rld " 1 unto you, Behold He is in the desert, go not forth to 

s— whose coming is after seek Him there: or if they shall say, Behold, He is con- 

S^w^d^^ ceaUdfrom the Romans in one of the secret chambers of 

l f m s wonders. 2 Thess. f^Q Treasury, believe it not. For as the lightning cometh 

h Ye, therefore, beloved, 0Ut °* tne eaSt -' a11 ^ snmetn {flosMtK) even UUtO the West, 

seeing ye know these s0 conspicuous, as well as swift and terrible iii its course, 

things before, beware lest _ t ■* _^ . r -i o <> i -r* i 

ye also, being led away shall also the Coming of the bon or man be. ror wnere- 
wickedJaUfro^youro^n soever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered to- 
stedfastness. 2 Pet. iii. 17. gether^ 19 ) to prey upon it: and thus the great body of the 
prey^nd'her^vetbehdd Jewish nation, collected together in the devoted city, will lie 

lae °&ere^ e ^he he Ifob a ^ e ^ ess P re V t° ^ e f oe > s ^ a ^ a PP ear their Eagle- 
xxxix 29,30. standards, ready to fall upon and utterly destroy them. 



( M ) For the Elect" s sake.] This may also be 
taken to include a portion of the Jews. St. 
Paul, ten years before the destruction of the 
city, spoke of " a remnant" who should be 
saved through the grace of the Gospel ; and 
though "blindness in part had happened unto 
Israel," they were still a beloved for their 
fathers' sakes," and were preserved to hand 
down the race of Abraham (see Rom. xi. 5, 



25— 28).— The shortening of the days of the 
siege was important to the Christians who had 
escaped ; for they would not be able to subsist 
long in a mountainous district, and might have 
been destroyed by the Zealots, who massacred all 
that were adverse to the war. 

( 19 ) There will the eagles be gathered together. \ 
See Section XCIII., Note 5. 



307 



SECTION CXIIL 

Jesus describes the destruction of Jerusalem in stronger 
images, applicable also to the day of judgment; and 
solemnly inculcates the duty of watchfulness. 



A 



Matt. xxiv. 29—39, 42. Mark xiii. 24—37. Luke xxi, 25—36. 

ND Jesus continued His discourse to the four disciples, a Behold, the day of the 

„ 17 ,,,, . t • «>i Lord cometh, cruel, both 

as follows : — lhere shall be extraordinary signs m the with wrath and fierce an- 

sun, and in the moon, and in the stars ; and upon the earth VhTsuthSt^ 

universal distress of nations, with perplexity ; the sea and kened in his going forth, 

, . in ' n /» • t » anc *- ^ e moon stall not 

the waves roaring under the influence oj mighty storms i cause her hght to shine, 

men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after Is i beheld heavens, 

those fearful things which are so evidently coming on the and the J had no % ht - 

_ ; Y t i r> i -i i • p i i For thus hath the Lord 

earth. Immediately after the tribulation ol those days said, The whole land shall 

shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give ^ desolate - Jer - 23 > 

her light, a (1 > according as the prophet Joel figuratively writes th ^ lt W i e wi J f^ r Jjj 

of this desolating time ; and the stars, the powers of heaven, sun with a cloud, and the 

shall be shaken, and shall fall from heaven : b there shall Jfght S Ez^k?^JL7 he? 

be an utter destruction both of the Jewish state and of its The sun shall be turn- 

J J ed into darkness, and the 

sinful rulers. And then shall appear the hand of Divine moon into blood, before 

Providence in this judgment > — manifest as the sign of the day of the Lord come, 

Son of man ( 2 ) in heaven, which they have so often desired Joel u - 3L 

to see : and then shall all the tribes of the earth (of the b And ail the host of 

land of Judea) mourn, and they shall indeed see in effect the hea , ven s jj al !£ e dissclved > 

c, » . an( i snal l fal1 down, as 

oon ot man coming, as it were in the clouds of heaven, 0 the leaf faiieth off from 

with power and great glory, to execute vengeance* And Jin ^ome^down Tpon 

then, as at the Last Great Day He shall send His angels ^ J dumea - Isa - xxxiv - 4 > 

with a great sound of a trumpet,* 1 so shall He send His And i beheld when he 

messengers e to proclaim His will with the powerful Voice and toTthe sun^ScaS 

of Gospel truth ; f and they shall gather together His elect Wa^k as sackcloth of hah, 

" -* 7 J o o and the moon became as 
blood : and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs. Rev. vi. 12, 13. 

c Behold, One like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven. Dan. vii. 13. — Behold He cometh with 
clouds, and every eye shall see Him. Rev. i. 7. 

d The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised. 1 Cor. xv. 52. 

e They mocked the messengers of God, and misused His prophets. 2 Chron. xxXvi. 16. — Haggai, the Lord's 
messenger. Hag. i. 13. 

f Lift up thy voice like a trumpet. Isa. Iviii. 1. — Their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto 
the ends of the world. Rom. x. 18. 



(!) The sun shall be darkened, §c.\ In an- 
cient Hieroglyphic writings the sun, moon, and 
stars represented empires and states, with their 
sovereigns and nobility. The eclipse of these 
luminaries was said to denote temporary na- 
tional disasters, or an entire overthrow of any 
state. This is still an Eastern mode of wri- 
ting, and there are some classical examples of 
it. _ The Prophets frequently employ it, so that 
their style seems to be a speaking hieroglyphic. 
Thus Isaiah describes the destruction of Babylon, 
and Ezekiel that of Egypt. — In accordance with 
this prediction, Josephus gives an account of the 
persecution and slaughter of the nobility and 
principal men in the city by the infuriated 
Zealots, computing their number at twelve thou- 
sand. — The same awful signs here spoken of are 
elsewhere mentioned as ushering in the Great 



Day (see in the Margin), and undoubtedly are 
intended on this occasion to refer also to the final 
catastrophe of all things. 

( 2 ) The sign of the Son of man.] As " the sign 
of Jonas the prophet" is the same as the pro- 
phet Jonas himself delivered by miracle ; so "the 
sign of the Son of man" is only " the Son of man 
coming in the clouds, " and manifested by mira- 
culous powers. — This figurative expression is 
used in Scripture to signify the evident interpo- 
sition of God, and His irresistibly executing ven- 
geance on a wicked generation, 

( 3 ) He shall send His Angels. ] Both in the Old 
and New Testament, the prophets and ministers 
of God are styled His Angels, that is, "Mes- 
sengers," for the word refers only to office. — So 
their preaching is styled a Voice, and the voice 
as of a trumpet (see in the Margin). 

X 2 



308 THE FALL OF JERUSALEM DURING THAT GENERATION IS PREDICTED. 



(His true disciples wherever dispersed) from the four winds, 
e They shall come from — from the uttermost part of the earth/ and from one end 

the east and from the west, n i . . ■■ ait , i .1 ■ -1. 

and from the north and 01 heaven to the other. And when these things begin to 

Sdown Tth^kfngd'om come to P ass > and the enemies of the Truth are overthrown, 
of God. Luke xui. 29. then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption 
from trouble draweth nigh : the wicked shall cease their per- 
secutions, and the Churches shall have rest. 

And He spake to them a parable, in reply to the en- 
quiry they had at first made, When all these things should 
be ? Now behold and learn a parable of (take an illustration 
from) the fig-tree and all the trees : when his branch is 
yet tender, and they now shoot forth leaves, ye see and 
know of your ownselves, that summer is now nigh at 
hand: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things 
come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at 
hand — even at the doors : As surely as the budding branch 
foretells approaching summer, so effectually shall My spi- 
h Verily I say unto ritual dominion be established upon the ruin of My enemies. 
come^pmSs^nSationl Verily I say unto you, This generation of men now living 
Matt, xxiii. 36. no t p ass awav till all these things which I have 

1 The grass withereth declared unto you be fulfilled. 11 Heaven and earth shall 
the flower fadeth, but the pass away at the final dissolution of all things : but My 

Word of our God shall 1 . . * J .. ._. J ? J 

stand for ever. isa. xi. 8. words shall not pass away 1 void. 

But, though many who are now living shall witness My 
coming in vengeance to destroy Jerusalem, of that day and 
(or) that hour when heaven and earth are to pass away, and 1 
shall finally come to judge the world, knoweth no man — no, 
not even the angels w T hich are in heaven; neither the Son< 5) 
it shall be One Day of man in His character of Teacher, but My Father only : k 

Ae 1 £rf.^ 1 Zeci I xiv! 1 7? f or ^ ^ s not for man to know the times and the seasons, and 
I am not commissioned, as a part of My prophetic office, to 
reveal this mystery. 

But this is certain, and it will be proper for all to know 
it : As were the days of Noe, who in vain preached righte- 
ousness to the old world, so unlooked-for shall also the 
final Coming of the Son of man be. For as, in the days 
that were before the Flood, they despised every warning and 
were irretrievably sunk in sensual indulgences ; they were 
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until 
the very day that Noe entered into the ark ; and knew not 



( 4 ) This generation shall not pass away.'] 
J erusalem fell about forty years after these words 
were uttered. 

( 5 ) Neither the Son.] We cannot suppose that 
Jesus was not partaker of the Father's counsels 
concerning the precise time when the world 
shall end. The Second Person in the Holy Tri- 
nity, abstractedly considered, knows everything, 
ts Peter, unrebuked, declared that he believed 
(John xxi. 17); but the Messiah is sometimes 
described according to His human nature, as 



gradually "increasing in wisdom," &c. ; and, thus 
regarded, He taught only what the Spirit re- 
vealed to Him. Omniscience in Chrisfs human 
mind need not be supposed, any more than Om- 
nipresence in His human body. He might surely 
divest Himself of knowledge, in the same way tha t 
He divested Himself of immortality. These are 
things " hard to be understood;'' but it would 
be strange if there were not difficulties in a case 
so mysterious as the union of the Divine and 
human nature in the Person of Christ. 



THE UNEXPECTEDNESS OF CHRISES COMING TO JUDGMENT. 



309 



their danger, until the Flood came with irresistible fury 

and took them all away so unlooked-for shall also the 1 Ail in whose nostrils 

Coming of the Son of man be. — And take heed to your- all that was in theory 

selves, lest at any time your hearts, and all your nobler land ' died - Gen - vii - 22 - 
faculties, be overcharged with surfeiting (with gluttony) and 

drunkenness, 111 and needless cares of this life, and so that m !ft us walk honestly, 

' 7 as in the day, not in riot- 

dreadful Day should come upon you unawares. For as a ing and drunkenness. 

snare 11 shall it come on nearly all them that dwell on the ™ norshaii drunkards 

face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore; take ye go7\ Cor^ 8 io m ° f 
heed, for ye know not when the time is to be* or in what 

T i i i i , i n n The day of the Lord 

hour your .Lord doth come : and pray always, that, for so cometh as a thief in 

your Saviour s sake, and through Divine Grace enabling you ^i^^'come^pon thee 

to trust in Him, ye may be accounted worthy to escape all a thief in the night, 

, , ,, , , anf l tnou SQa lt not know 

these things that shall come to pass, and to stand at last what hour i will come 

accepted before the Son of man. 0 upon thee ' Rev * m " 3 ' 

For the Son of man is even as a man taking a far (a no J 2i"Jf£ wf 

distant) journey, who left his house and affairs in charge, ment - Ps - L 5 - 

, , • t • n 7 ■ 7 i ~ t0 Present you fault- 

and gave authority to his confidential servants, and ap- less before the presence of 

pointed to every man his proper work, and commanded the Hls glory ' Jude 34 ' 
porter at the door to keep a careful watch. — Watch ye, 
therefore, as faithful servants : for ye know not when the 
Master of the house cometh, whether at even, or at mid- 
night, or at the time of cock-crowing, or in the morning : 

lest, coming suddenly, He find you sleeping P at your post. p us not sleep, as 

aii,t - a ,i t , . „ „ do others, but let us 

And what 1 say unto you, My Apostles, 1 say unto all My watch, l Thess. v. 6. 
disciples in every age, — Watch ! 



SECTION CXIV. 

Jesus further warns His disciples to be ready against His 
coming, in the parables of the ten vlrgins and the 
Talents; and concludes with a more particular descrip- 
tion of the Day of Judgment, 

Matt. xxv. 1 — 46. Lake xxi. 37, 38. 

THEN shall the Kingdom (the Administration) of Heaven 
be likened, in dealing with mere professors of religion, 
unto the case of ten Virgins; which, according to the cus- 
tom in celebrating marriages, took their lamps, and went 
forth at night to meet the bride and bridegroom, and to 
light them home to the banquet. 

And five of them were wise (prudent), and the other 
five were foolish. (,) They that were foolish took their 



( J ) And five of them, were wise, <Jfc] The 
Jews had a parable somewhat similar to this : 
A teacher tells his disciple to be sure and repent 
before they die. They ask> if a man may know 
the hour of his death ; to which he rejoins, Let 



a man repent therefore every day, as he knows 
not when he shall die : — For there was a rich man 
who invited all his servants to a feast, but did 
not tell them at what hour the entertainment 
would be ready. Some of them at once attired 



310 



THE PARABLE OF THE TEN VIRGINS. 



lamps, and took no supply of oil with them : but the wise, 
together with their lamps, took oil for replenishing them 
in their vessels. While the bridegroom tarried later than 
usual, they grew drowsy with watching, and at length all 
slumbered (nodded, Gr.) and slept. And at midnight there 
was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; and soon 
a hurried summons for the virgins arrived, Go ye out im- 
mediately to meet him. 

Then all those ten virgins arose, and trimmed their 
lamps. And the five who were foolish said unto the wise, 
Give us some of your oil, for we have neglected to bring a 
supply in our vessels, and now our lamps are gone out. 
But the wise answered, saying, [Not so] lest there be not 
enough for us and you : ^ but go ye rather to them that 
» when once the Mas- sell oil, and buy some for yourselves.— And when they went 
S.tS^ to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready 
LTat tTloor, ™ying, ^ the ^ ve P rudent virgins) joined the bridal procession, and 
Lord, Lord, open to us' went in with him to the marriage-feast. And, the guests 
unto S you,Tknow a you nit being assembled, the door was now shut/ 3 ) Afterward came 
whence ye are. Luke a i so the other five virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open the 
b Prepare to meet thy door to us * But he > displeased at their want of attention, 
God. Amos iv. 12. answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not a 

Let your loins be gird- T , 7 » 7 /• . » 

ed about and your lights — 4 cannot acknowledge as friends those who have not acted 

^tn^afdo as such towards me. 

and er be b sober et I This? Take example, My disciples, from the disgrace of these 

v. 6. ' foolish virgins. Like those who were prudent, the best of 

c The Bridegroom shall V ou be subject to sins of infirmity and omission; but 

MatthTis fr ° m them " nevertheless, take care that your hearts be vessels furnished 

The friend of the Bride- with a never-failing stock of grace, — having the inward prin- 

groom, which standeth . 7 n , 7 . 77 ,, , , . ' 

and heareth Him, re- ciple of holiness, as ivell as the outward profession of a 
&%$Sg£r%Z Christian. Watch, therefore," lest the time of your 
John iii. 29. summons for appearing before the Divine Bridegroom c should 



themselves fittingly for the occasion, that they 
might be ready whenever they might be sum- 
moned; but others idled away their holiday, 
thinking there was time enough, and that they 
could easily contrive to be ready at the last. 
But the call came suddenly, and as the idlers 
were quite unprepared to meet it, they were not 
allowed to sit down with their fellow-servants, 
and partake of their kind master's hospitality. 

It need not occasion surprise that our Lord 
should sometimes apply those Jewish parables, 
or proverbs, which He considered were adapted 
to inculcate the spiritual truths of His Gospel. 
They would be better understood and remem- 
bered by His hearers, as being already familiar 
to them, and they would also give less offence. 

( 2 ) Not so ; lest there be not enough for us and 
you.] The Original contains no such positive 
refusal as " Not so" (though there is an ellipsis 
here of some kind). But the prudent virgins 
could not assist their neighbours in their distress. 
— Those who would be saved must have grace of 
their own: the best have need of more, and cer- 
tainly have no superfluous works of merit, the 



benefit of which can be made over to others. 
"In many things we offend all" (Jas. iii. 2); 
and even the good virgins showed infirmity, for 
" all slumbered" at their post. Yet the simple 
words, " Go and buy for yourselves" have been 
adduced to support the Romish doctrine of works 
of Supererogation ! The foolish virgins succeeded 
in purchasing oil, but were, after all, shut out. 

( 3 ) And the door was shut.} There seems an 
allusion here to a Jewish phrase of " shutting the 
gates of repentance." Our own Church, in op- 
position to the doctrines of Final Perseverance 
and Indefectible Grace, maintains it as the doc- 
trine of the Bible, that the day of Grace has its 
limits. Not less numerous, than those passages 
which describe the mercy promised to repent- 
ance, are those which speak of the work of re- 
pentance as becoming more and more difficult, — 
and at length impossible, — after the rejection, of 
grace given (see particularly Heb. xii. 17). The 
door of mercy may be closed, and there is a time 
beyond which the Almighty no longer suffers 
His compassion to be abused by the obstinacy of 
man. 



THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS. 



311 



reach you suddenly ; for ye know neither the day nor the 
hour wherein the Son of man cometh. 

For, to give you a further illustration of the necessity of 
being prepared, the Kingdom of Heaven is as the case of 
a man travelling into a far country, who called his own ser- 
vants/^ and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one 
he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one ; 
to every man of them according to his several ability [the 
respective capacity of each) a sum of money, that it might be 
employed to advantage : and, having done this, he straight- 
way took his journey. 

Then he that had received the five talents, went imme- 
diately to work, and traded successfully with the same, and 
made them other five talents,— thus doubling the capital 
which had been entrusted to him. And, likewise, he that 
had received two talents, he also laid them out to the best 
advantage, and gained other two. But he that had received 
only one, without making the least effort to turn it to ac- 
count, went and digged a hole in the earth, and there hid 
his lord*s money. 

After a long time the lord of those servants cometh 
home, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had re- 
ceived five talents, came and brought with him other five 
talents, saying to his master, Lord, thou deliveredst unto 
me five talents to trade with in thy absence; behold, I have 
gained beside them five talents more. His lord, much 
pleased with the industry and fidelity he had displayed, said 
unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou 
hast been faithful over a few things ; d I will henceforth d He that is faithful in 

, ,i , ., . , . . ,i that which is least, is 

make thee ruler over many things : enter thou into the faithful also iu much, 
joy of thy lord on his happy return to his family and 
home. — He also that had received two talents, came and 
said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me in charge two talents : 
behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His 
lord, gratified with this other instance of trustworthiness, 
said, in like manner, unto him, Well done, thou good and 
faithful servant ; thou hast been faithful over a few things, 
I will reward thy service and make thee ruler over many 
things : enter thou also into the joy of thy lord. 

Then he which had received the one talent, came and 



Luke xvi. 10. 



( 4 ) His own servants.'] This would seem im- 
mediately to refer to the Apostles, the Seventy 
Disciples, and others, on whom different Spiritual 
gifts were then conferred. But, though pri- 
marily addressed to our Lord's living followers, 
this Parable is not confined to them, but includes 
all Christians. What He had, just before, said 
to them, He declares that He said unto all : 
" Watch ! " — To all are assigned their respective 
portions of duty in their respective stations : one 
lias gifts of mind, another of fortune; one has 



temporal, another has moral influence. There 
is no escape, no exemption for any man from his 
trust, however small that trust may be. The 
command is universal : " Occupy till I come." 
The single talent described in the Parable as 
given to the worthless servant would be a large 
sum, though it were given in silver ; and thus 
would seem to be intimated the value to every 
Christian of his respective trust. — See Section 
CI I. on the Parable of the Pounds. 



312 THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS. 

impudently said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard- 
dealing man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and 
gathering where thou hast not strawed : and I was afraid 
that thou wouldst expect a higher profit than I could obtain, 
and that if I should unfortunately lose the money in trading, 
thou wouldst severely exact it of me again ; and so I went and 
hid thy talent in the earth : lo, there thou hast safely back 
that which is thine. His lord, much displeased with his con- 
e Thine own mouth duct, answered and said unto him, Out of thine own mouth 
iT d yX e tw ee 0 wn d hps Wl tt I condemn thee, thou wicked [malicious) and slothful ser- 
testify against thee. Job van ^ . thou knewest, e for so thou hast audaciously presumed 
to say, that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I 

f Having gifts differing , • t 7 . 7 , 

according to the grace have not strawed : on thine own shewing thou shouldest 
that is given to us. Rom. ^ ave made some exertion to satisfy so strict a master, and 
There are diversities of no f nave deprived me even of the common profit which is my 

gifts: but the mamfesta- * J i 

tion of the Spirit is given due ; thou oughtest therefore at the least to have put my 

withal!* 7 1™*!*. xii. v?. 1 money to the exchangers at the bank, and then at my 

g To him that over- com i n g back I should have received mine own with usury W 

cometh will i give to sit ( w ith interest). Take therefore, some of you, the talent 

with Me in My throne. \ ' . ' j 

Rev. iii. 21. from him, and give it, as an immediate reward, unto him 

The Lord Jesus shall which hath ten talents. For unto every one that improveth 

with e His e mighty Sgek! what he hath > sha11 m0re be § iven > and he shaU haVe abun " 

2Thess. i. 7. dance; but from him that hath not, so as to improve what 

The Lord cometh with 77 7 j-ini i -i -i • -i i 

ten thousand of His saints, has been bestowed, shall be taken away even that which he 
hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer 
whitt n throne S , aW and Him darkness : tnere sha11 be weeping and gnashing of teeth, 
that sat on it. Rev. xx. So shall the Lord of all return again, after some time, 
from Heaven to take account of the actions of men. Those 
beforl Ve theYudg^Lll a ra d t Who nave improved the several talents f entrusted to them, 
01 We r must?in* X ear be — ^ e ^ r °PP or ^ un ^ es of religious improvement, whether gifts 
fore the judgment-seat of of intellectual capacity or of 'worldly substance, — these shall 

And i saw the dead, receive their due reward, partaking with their Master in the 
fSeGod? S Rev.xx nd i2. e " 3°V S °f heaven.% But the slothful, and they who have unpro- 

. . , . , fitably buried even their single talent, must be cast into the 

1 At the end of the J y u ' 

world, the angels shall regions of darkness to receive that punishment which they 

come forth, and sever the 7 7 7 -. r . 7 . 77 , 7 

wicked from among the have deserved. No excuses can then serve ; it will not be 
just. Matt, xin, 49. sufficient to have done no wrong, if they have neglected what 
«! As for you o My i s plainly their duty. 

flock, thus saith the Lord i n * tt • 1 t h 

God; Behold I judge be- When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all 
Sen C £amL P dte the holy angels with Him," then shall He sit as the Judge 
he-goats. Ezek. xxxiv. U p 0n the throne of His glory 1 {upon His glorious throne) : and 
before Him shall be gathered all nations ; k and by His angels 

a We are His people, . _ , , , , 

and the sheep of His pas- He shall separate them one from another, 1 as a shepherd m 
,a Tam P the Good Shep- divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the 
herd, and know My sheep, s h eep n — mcn as Ufa those useful creatures, have led, so far 

and am known of Mine. 1 3 n n tj* tt* 

John x. 14. as in them lay, an innocent and profitable life,-^on His right 



( 5 ) With usury.] See Section CIL, Note 10. 



THE PROCEDURE OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 



313 



hand;( 6 ) but the goats, 0 — those who are offensive to Him,— g0 ^££^ the 
on the left. Then shall the King< 7 > say unto them on His 

u ' . . . . P Smce the beginning 

right hand, Come, ye blessed 01 My rather, inherit the 0 f the world men have 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the ^^tZ^tlt 
world :PW for I was an hungred {hungry), and ye gave Me ^ d e e e g e s e ee ^'ham 
meat ; (9) I was thirsty, and ye gave Me to drink ; I was a prepared ' for him that 
stranger, and ye took Me in to your houses ; naked (in want f ° r Him ' Isa ' 

of proper clothing), and ye clothed Me; q I was sick, and ye ^ ° 0 n n 
visited Me ; I was in prison, and ye came even there unto shall be given to them 
Me r to aid and condole with Me. Then shall the righteous Matt ^ 23* prepared " 
answer Him with humility, saying, Lord, when saw we jf»^g 
Thee an hungred, and fed Thee ? or thirsty, and gave Thee unto glory. Rom. ix. 23. 
to drink? When saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee .^JJ™* 
in to our houses ? or naked, and clothed Thee ? Or when and that fadeth not away, 

. , . . , 7 . , 7 7 reserved in heaven for 

saw we Thee sick, or m prison, and charitably came you> 1 Pet . ,. 4. 
unto Thee ? And the King shall answer and say unto q is not this the fast 

, .,, . 7 • tt *i t j. that I have chosen? Is 

them with gracious condescension, Venlv, 1 say unto you, it not to deal thy bread 
Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least (the 
meanest or most afflicted) of these My brethren , s — -for such are cast out, to thy house? 
they truly are when they do My Father's will 3 — ye have 

^ naked, that thou cover 

effect done it unto Me.' %\ £ 

hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, — he shall surely live, saith the 
Lord God. Ezek. xviii. 5, 7, 9. 

r Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them ; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves 
also in the body. Heb. xiii. 3. 

» Whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother. Matt. xii. 50. 
— Both He that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified are all one: for which cause He is not ashamed 
to call them brethren. Heb. ii. 11. 

* He that hath pity upon the poor, lendeth unto the Lord ; and that which he hath given will He pay him 
again. Prov. xix. 17. — Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the 
name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Matt x. 42. — God is not unrighteous 
to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the 
saints, and do minister. Heb. vi. 10. 



( 6 ) He shall set the sheep on His right nand, 
4fc] The imagery here is partly pastoral (for 
we often find the Messiah and true Christians 
compared to a shepherd and his sheep), and 
partly it is derived from the Jewish mode of ad- 
ministering justice : those who were to receive 
sentence of absolution were placed on the right 
hand in the Sanhedrim ; those who were to re- 
ceive sentence of condemnation, on the left. — It 
is remarkable that there is a Hebrew word which 
signifies both a goat and an evil spirit. 

( 7 ) The King. ] Jesus on this occasion changes 
the appellation" Son of man," and takes the title 
of King when speaking of His exercising the highest 
act of kingly power, viz., passing final sentence on 
all men as His subjects. The glory in which He 
will come is, at Matt. xvi. 27, said to be "His 
Father's:" here it has been described asHis own. 

( 8 ) Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the 
Kingdom prepared for you, ^c] There is a 
remarkable variation between the language em- 
ployed here, and that made use of in addressing 
the reprobate. The circumstance of the righteous 
being first absolved, may of itself serve to show 
that God takes greater delight in rewarding, than 
in punishing His creatures. — The righteous are 
addressed " Ye blessed of My Father the wicked 
simply, "Ye cursed." Again, the blessings are 
said to have been all along prepared for the 
former ; while the punishment was designed ori- 



ginally, not for man, but for the fallen spirits. 
The same merciful distinction is observed else- 
where (see Rom. ix. 22, 23). God is the author 
of man's happiness : man alone, the author of his 
own misery. 

( 9 ) / was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat.] 
We must not hastily conclude from this pas- 
sage, that mere alms-giving will as it were 
purchase heaven for us, or make amends for the 
want of Faith and the omission of other duties. 
Good Works are acceptable to God, but then 
they must spring from Faith in Christ, being the 
best proof of the soundness of the principle from 
which they spring (see Jas. ii. 15 — 18). Charity 
is said to be the end of the Commandment ; and 
the distinguishing and conspicuous virtue of Be- 
nevolence is here brought forward (as it is also 
at James i. 27) to illustrate the Christian cha- 
racter. Such a virtue cannot exist alone, and, if 
it be genuine, extensive, and permanent, can 
only spring from that saving faith in the Re- 
deemer which necessarily " works by love. " 
Those who are kind to the poor and needy, show 
that they possess "His Spirit.'''' — We should par- 
ticularly note that the quality here selected is 
not general, but Christian benevolence ; love to 
the brethren, for the sake of their common 
Master: "inasmuch as ye did it" (not merely 
to your fellow creatures out of pity, but) " to 
the least of these My brethren, ye did it unto Me." 



314 



THE PROCEDURE OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. 



» Depart from Me, ail Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, 

pI Xa ° imqmty ' Depart from Me, ye cursed u {devoted as ye are to destruc- 

toTertrTcll^wlS tion )> int0 everlasting fire T — prepared, not originally for you, 

2 \h t K h b th ^ t ^ 16 ^ eV ^ anC ^ an o e ^ S 5 W Wh° se ^ V ou mus t nOW 

thorns and briers is re, share, as during life you have resembled them in impiety 

Sloi St your neglect of mercy. For I was an hungred, and ye 

be burned. Heb. vi. 8. g aV e Me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink; 

* As therefore the tares I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in ; naked, and ye 
f^thf&TsoThaU^rbe clothed Me not ; sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me 
M^txni d .4°o. this ™ rW ' not sha11 the Y also an s^r Him, saying, Lord, 

—in flaming fire taking when saw we Thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, 

vengeance on them that ... . . iti •• 

know not God, and that or naked, or sick, or m prison, and did not minister unto 

t/Ci Thee? Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily, I say 

who shall be punished un t 0 you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of 

with everlasting destruc- . w J ■»•••»• _ , 

tion. 2 Thess. i. 8, 9. these whom I esteem as My brethren, ye did it not to Me : x 

w The angels which r ^ ie Mlity to do good imposes the obligation to do it, and 

kept not their first estate, if you really loved Me, you would have ministered to them 

but left then: own habi- *i , 

tation, He hath reserved JOT My Sake. 

der^SrkneS ^to the And these, notwithstanding every vain excuse, shall go 

Dav gm Jude6 the Great awa y f rom the sacred presence of the Judge into everlasting 

* He that honoureth P un i snmen t ; (10) Du ^ ^ ne righteous, through the grace of 
his Maker, hath mercy God, who ivill accept their imperfect obedience for His Son's 
on e poor. ro% . nv. sa fe } s ^ a n admitted into life eternal J 

Saul, yet breathing out ^nd ' m t h e day-time He was thus teaching in the 

tbreatemngs and slaugh- » ° 

ter against the disciples Temple during this last week of His ministry; and at night 

heard a Voice saying unto 

He went out of the city to avoid tumult, and abode during 

seane^o^Me^AcS the remaining nights in the retirement of the mount that 

ix - 1 > 4 - is called the Mount of Olives : and all the people came 

7 Many of them that early in the morning to Him in the Temple for to hear 

sleep in the dust of the tt' 

earth, shall awake, some -timi. 

to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Dan. xii. 2. — The hour is coming, in the which 
all that are in the graves shall come forth ; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that 
have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. John v. 28, 29. 



( 10 ) Into everlasting punishment.] No philolo- 
gical criticism can lower the force of our Saviour's 
declarations, so often and so plainly repeated, con- 
cerning the Eternity of Future Punishment. If 
we trace the use of the Greek word, translated 
everlasting in the text, through the Scriptures of 
the New Testament, and also the Greek transla- 
tion of the Old Testament, we find that when it 
signifies a long indefinite duration, or any portion 
of time short of eternal, it is applied in such a 
manner and to such objects, that the limitation 
of the sense is clearly seen, and all ambiguity 



precluded. On the other hand, it is sometimes 
used with reference to God (Deut. xxxiii. 27) ; 
to the Holy Spirit (Heb. ix. 14) ; to the Gospel 
(Rev. xiv. 6) : and in all these places, as in the 
passage before us, a duration really eternal is to 
be understood. Here too, where the phrases 
" eternal Me" and "everlasting punishment" 
occur in the same sentence of our Translation 
(Matt. xxv. 46), we find in the Original the same 
word (alaiviov) used with both : yet the absolute 
eternity of life in the state of happiness has never 
been disputed. 



315 



SECTION CXV. 

The rulers debate as to the apprehension of Jesus; and Judas 
agrees to deliver hlm up for thirty pieces of silver. 

Matt. xxvi. 1—5, 14—16. Mark xiv. 1, 2, 10, 11. Luke xxii. 1 — 6. 

NOW the feast of Unleavened Bread, (1) (which is called 
the Passover) drew nigh, and was to be celebrated after 
two more days. And so it came to pass, when Jesus had 
finished all these sayings in the Temple and at the Mount a Beho]d we up to 

of Olives, He said unto His disciples, Ye know that after Jerusalem, and the Son of 

two days is the feast of the Passover, and then the time, U nto the chief priests and 

of which I have so often spoken*, will have arrived, and the condemn Hhn^deS! 

Son of man is betrayed (delivered up to His enemies) to be <* Dd ?, eliver Him „ **> * he 

J x ■* ' Gentiles to crucify Him. 

Crucified. Matt. xx. IS, 19. 

Then assembled together secretly the chief priests, and 
the Scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace 
of the High-priest, who was called Caiaphas ; and consulted 15 b The rulers take 
how they might take Jesus by subtilty, and put Him to the Lord, and against His 
death. But they said, Let us not do this, if it can be Anoillted - Ps/ii - 2 - 
avoided, on the feast-day (during the time of the feast, Gr.), 
lest there be in consequence an uproar among the people : 
for they feared the people, among whom were many Ga- 
lileans at this time ; and any open attack on Jesus might 
have been summarily defeated. 

Then entered Satan into the heart o/Judas, ( ^ surnamed 
Iscariot — he being one of the number of the Twelve, which 
was a dreadful aggravation of the crime into which he fell. 
And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests, 
and with the captains of the military guard then stationed 
at the Temple, how he might best betray Him unto them ; 
and said unto them, What will ye give me as a recompence 
for this service, and I will deliver Him unto you this very 
night in His place of retirement ? And when they heard it, 
they were glad of the opportunity, and promised to give 
him money: and at length they covenanted (bargained) 
with Him for thirty pieces of silver. (3) Thus was fulfilled 



(*) The feast of Unleavened Bread.] This 
feast was celebrated for seven days, and bread 
not leavened was eaten during the whole of these : 
hence the name. It is St. Luke who adds the 
explanation, "which is called the Passover," 
because he was writing also for Gentiles. See Sec, 
XIV., Note 2. The Feast fell on our 9th April. 

( 2 ) Then entered Satan into Judas.] Satan 
tempted Judas by his predominant passion of 
covetousness, and he yielded to the instigation. — 
He seems also to have been excited (as indeed 
the others were, more or less, previous to the 
Crucifixion) by ambition. He had hitherto been 
disappointed in his hopes ; and fully believing in 



Jesus as the Messiah according to Jewish notions 
(that is, as the great expected Temporal Prince, 
who would have ample power to reward His fol- 
lowers), he was impatient to precipitate events, so 
as to compel His Master to prove His pretensions 
to the assembled rulers and at once assume 
His regal power and dignity. The subsecjuent 
remorse and end of Judas shew that these must 
have been his views. 

( 3 ) Thirty pieces of silver.] Wherever pieces 
of money are mentioned in Scripture, it is to be 
understood of the Jewish shekel, which was not 
more than 2s. 6d. of our money. Thirty shekels 
would only amount to 31. 15s. This amount 



316 



JUDAS UNDERTAKES TO BETRAY HIS MASTER. 



the prophecy of Zechariah, " Tliey weighed for My price 
thirty pieces of silver : a goodly price that I was prized at 
of them" [Zech. xi. 12, 13). 

And he promised to make good his word, and from that 
time sought a favourable opportunity, in the absence of 
the multitude (without tumult, Marg.), to betray Him 
unto them. 



SECTION CXVI. 

Jesus directs His disciples to prepare the Passover; and at 
supper-time teaches them a striking lesson of humility 
by washing their feet. 

Matt. xxvi. 17—20. Mark xiv. 12—17. Lake xxii. 7—14, 24—30. 

John xiii. 1 — 20. 

THEN came the first day of Unleavened Bread, 0 > when, 
according to the direction of the Law, the lamb to be 
sacrificed every year in remembrance of the Passover must be 
killed. And they said unto Him, Where wilt Thou that we 
go and prepare for Thee to eat the Passover ? And He sent 
two of His disciples, Peter and John, saying, Go ye, pur- 
chase a lamb and kill it, and prepare us the Passover, that 
we may once more eat of it together. And He said more- 
over unto them, Go into the city to such a man W of whom 



was exactly the fine which the Law commanded 
to be paid to the owner of a slave accidentally- 
gored or killed (Exod. xxi. 32). The payment of 
so trifling a sum as the price of our Lord's 
blood, shews how true was the saying of the 
Apostle, that " He took on Him the form of a 
servant" (Phil. ii. 7) ; and also the prediction of 
the Evangelical Prophet, " He was despised, 
and we esteemed Him not" (Isa. liii. 3). 

( ! ) The first day of unleavened bread.] Our 
Lord celebrated the Passover on the evening pre- 
ceding His death ; whereas some at least of the 
Jews ate it on the Friday (John xviii. 28). 
Since the Law required that all should eat it on 
the same day, it has been supposed that the Jews 
differed among themselves,— in consequence of 
their imperfect mode of calculating full moon, — 
as to which was the right day. Another suppo- 
sition is, that our Lord anticipated the Feast by 
one day; so that, as the true Paschal Victim, He 
might suffer at the very hour when the typical 
lamb was eaten. But it seems more satisfactory to 
conclude, that our Lord partook of the Feast at 
the right hour of the right day (for the Passover 
commenced at sunset on the Thursday), while the 
Jews, — although they killed the lamb on the 
right day, — violated the command (Deut. xvi. 4) 
as' to the time of eating it. — The mystical 
signification of this Jewish rite is plainly given 
by St. Paul (1 Cor. v. 7), who calls Christ 
" our Passover ;" and the Baptist referred to 
this type, when be pointed Him out as "thej 



Lamb of God" (John i. 29). St. Peter, in like 
manner, calls Him "a Lamb without blemish 
and without spot" (1 Pet. L 19), and the beloved 
disciple, in the Revelation, " the Lamb that was 
slain" (Rev. v. 12). As the Israelites were 
preserved from the destroying angel by the blood 
of the lamb sprinkled on their door-posts^ so alone 
can sinners escape the wrath to come by taking 
refuge at the foot of the Cross, and thus " plead- 
ing the sprinkling of the Saviour's blood." (See 
Heb. xii. 24 : 1 Pet. i. 2.) 

Our Saviour commanded His disciples to pre- 
pare the Passover, because every Jew was per- 
mitted on this occasion to be his own priest, 
lolling his paschal lamb in his own house. It 
was to be without spot or blemish, of a year old ; 
to be roasted whole, for not a bone was to be 
broken. Sauce made with bitter herbs was eaten 
with it. None of it was to be left whole till 
morning, so that two families joined together 
when one was too small. In the time of Josephus 
a paschal company consisted of not less than ten, 
nor more than twenty persons. The number of 
Jews usually attending this festival was so great, 
that when Cestius made a public enquiry, he 
found that the lambs killed at one Passover 
amounted to 2,065,500. 

( 2 ) To such a man. ] The classic writers use 
the same expression, when the person referred to 
was well known to the person addressed, and there 
existed any reason (as here on account of Judas) 
for concealing the name. Our Lord would know 
this householder to be a correct observer of 



THE APOSTLES PETER AND JOHN PREPARE THE PASSOVER. 317 



you know ; and that you may find him without difficulty, 
behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall meet 
you a serva?it-ms.n bearing a pitcher of water : follow him 
into the house where he entereth in. And wheresoever he 
shall go in, ye shall say unto the good man (the master) of 
the house, whom you will find to be the person of whom I 
spake : — The Master (The Teacher) saith unto thee, My time 
for celebrating the Feast is at hand ; I will keep the Pass- 
over at thy house : where therefore is the guest-chamber 
(which is the apartment allotted for the accommodation of 
strangers), where I shall (may) eat the Passover with My 
disciples ? And accordingly he shall shew you a large 
upper room furnished, and prepared for the occasion. 
There make ready for us. 

And His two disciples went forth, and came into the city, 
and found every thing exactly as He had said unto them : 
and they did as Jesus had said unto [had appointed, Matt.] 
them, and they made ready the Passover. And in the 
evening, when the appointed hour was come, He cometh, and 
sat down to table with all the twelve Apostles assembled. 

Now before they began to eat the feast of the Passover, 
when Jesus knew that His hour was nearly come that He 
should depart out of this world unto the Father ; having 
always affectionately loved His own (the Apostles which 
were with Him under all His trials in the world), He loved 
them unto the end of His life, and now proceeded to testify 
it by a remarkable proof of His anxiety for their best 
interests. 

And supper being ended (3) (supper-time having come, 
Gr.), there was also a strife among them which of them 
should be [accounted] the greatest in that reign of power 
which they supposed would succeed their Master's sufferings. 
Then Jesus, knowing as He did His own inherent dignity, — 
that the Father had given all things into His hands, a and that , A]1 ^ :are deH ^ 
He was come originally from God, and went (was now shortly ^ered unto^ Me ,°^ M 7 
returning) to reign again with God, — nevertheless humbled And Jesus came and 
Himself by assuming the menial duties of a servant, that so He f 0 ^ T ^^"£2 Me 
might set an example to all to follow His steps. Accordingly, w^^lvw^is " earth ' 
He riseth from the supper-table, and laid aside His loose He left nothing that is 

. i . i 7 , i 1'1-itt* ii' not put under Him. Heb. 

upper garments, and took a long towel, and girded Himself n & 
with it as with an apron. After that He poureth water into 



the Paschal laws. The free use of houses was 
given to all strangers who chose to eat the 
Passover in them, the only remuneration being 
the skin of the lamb sacrificed. Our Lord 
directs Peter and John in a circuitous manner 
to the house that He wished to use, which 
served a double purpose : it would render Him, 
while yet in privacy, less liable to interruption 
from His enemies, and it must have convinced 
the disciples that He was exactly acquainted 
with the whole of those circumstances which 



were to befall Him. Samuel, on anointing Saul, 
takes a similar mode of confirming his faith. 
(See 1 Sam. x. 2—7-) 

( 3 ) Supper being ended.] There is no doubt 
of the participle being here incorrectly translated 
in the common Version. In a subsequent chapter 
of the same Evangelist (John xxi. 4), our trans- 
lators have rendered the same verb, "come;" and 
they preserve that sense at Luke iv. 42 ; Acts 
xii. 18; xvu 35. — The washing of feet, too, was 
always practised before, not after, a meal. 



318 



JESUS WASHES THE FEET OF HIS DISCIPLES. 



a bason, and began to wash the disciples 5 feet, and to wipe 
them with the towel wherewith He was girded. 

Then cometh He in turn to Simon Peter : and Peter, 
affected at such an act of condescension, saith unto Him, 
Lord, dost Thou intend to wash my feet ? Jesus answered 
and said unto him, Tlie meaning of what I do, thou know- 
est not now, but thou shalt know hereafter [after it is done) 
Peter saith unto Him, Thou shalt never wash my feet : for 
b Except a man be / am a sinful man, O Lord, and cannot permit Thee to 

born of water and of the , . , 7 7 . • t . . . _ _ 

Spirit, he cannot see the stoop to such a degradation, Jesus answered him, If I 
kingdom of God. John was h b t h ee not, thou hast no part [no lot) in common with 
Christ also loved the Me, and henceforth art none of Mine. Simon Peter then, 

Church, and gave Him- 7 • • 7 7^7 • 1 TT , _ 

self for it, that He might submissively ana with eagerness, saith unto Him, Lord, 
St rltogTwl! wash n <>t m only, but also my hands and my head; 
terjjy the Word. Eph. f or J would devote all my members and all my faculties to 
According to His mer- Thy service. Jesus, who in this act of outward cleansing 
washnVof Regeneration! had referred to inward purity, saith to him, This is not 
Tit - ™* 5 : , intended as an ordinary washing : he that is washed (who 

— having our hearts 17 v 

sprinkled from an evil has bathed ) needeth not, upon returning from the bath to 

conscience, and 'our ho- t . t • r . ■, . . 

dies washed with pure supper, to wash again, save ms teet, but in other respects is 
water. Heb. x. 22. every whit (thoroughly) clean : so they who have been bap- 
« Ye are clean through tized in My name and truly converted, need no second 

the Word which I have 9 J 7 

spoken unto you. John immersion, and no entire change of mind subsequently ; but 
Ye are washed, ye are ^ ave on ty t° use ^ e daily means of grace that they may be 

sanctified, ye are justified, cleansed from their sins of infirmity: and ye are thus 
4 j ^ fr tl clean, c but not all of you. — For He knew who it was that 

beginning who they were should betray Him, d and was acquainted with every wicked 

wbo shouwtetray'ffint movement of the traitor's heart. Therefore said He, Ye 

John vi. 64. are no t all clean. 

So after He had washed their feet, and had taken up 
His garments which He had laid by, and was set down again 
at table, He said unto them, Know ye the meaning of what 
I have done to you ? And, that they might more effect- 
ually profit by the striking example He had just given, He 
said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lord- 
ship over them, — sometimes in a very arbitrary manner ; 
and they that exercise such authority upon them, are 
nevertheless, in flattery, called Benefactors : (4) but ye shall 
not be so : (5) but he that is greatest and most distinguished 
among you, let him be lowly as the younger; and he that 
is chief in office, as he that doth serve. For whether is 
accounted greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth 



( 4 ) Called Benefactors.] This title was more 
particularly given to the Roman emperors, but 
those potentates, generous as they might be 
abroad, were certainly oppressive to their sub- 
jects at home. Other kings, as appears from 
medals, styled themselves Euergeles, or " Bene- 
factors," of whom Antiochus, King of Syria, was 
one. The following inscription, it is said, still 



exists at Athens, in honour of Bernice, who is 
mentioned Acts xxv. 13 : — " The great queen 
Julia Berenice, daughter of King Julius Agrippa, 
and descendant of the great kings, Benefactors ta 
this city." 

( 5 ) But ye shall not be so.] See Section CI., 
Note 6. 



THE GREAT LESSON OF HUMILITY INCULCATED. 



319 



him ? Is not he that sitteth at meat ? But, as ye have just e Let thine handmaid 

, v i Tr n be a servant, to wash the 

now witnessed, 1 am among you as ne that servetn. e i e call f ee t of the servants of my 
Me the Master « and the Lord ; s and ye say well [correctly), '^^r ™™ 
for so I am. If I then, who am your Lord and Master, not to be ministered unto, 

_ i i i i * ^ ut to minister. Matt. 

have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another s xx . 28. 

f One is your Master, 
even Christ. Matt, xxiii. 
10. 



feet : if I have condescended to so menial a service, surely 
you ought cheerfully to perform the humblest offices of charity 
to your felloiv- Christians. For I have now purposely given 



e To us there is one 

you an example, that ye should do to others as I have done Lord, Jesus Christ. lCor. 
h Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not 

k Learn of Me, for I 
am meek and lowly in 
heart. Matt. xi. 29. 
Bear ye one another's 

commission to preach the Gospel, must never think it beneath burdens,— and so fulfil 

the law of Christ. Gal. 
vi. 2. 

Let this mind be in 
you which was also in 

avail without suitable practice: if then ye know these things, Christ Jesus ; who, being 

, . , . , 7 , . 7 in the form of God, took 

and are conscious that purity and humility are the true clia- upon Him the form of 

a servant. Phil. ii. 5 — 7. 

* — not a forgetful 
hearer, but a doer of the 



to you. 1 

greater than his lord, neither is he that is sent, greater than 
he that sent him ; and you, therefore, having received My 
Gospel, must never think it beneath 
you to do as I have done. Remember, too, that although know- 
ledge must precede holiness, all your knowledge will be of no 



i. 25. 

k He that overcometh 
and keepeth My works 
unto the end, to him will 
I give power over the 
nations. Rev. h. 26. 

1 When the Son of 
man shall sit in the 



racteristics of the Christian, happy are ye if ye do them. 1 

Ye are they which hitherto have faithfully continued 
with Me in all My troubles and temptations ; and I ap- work, this man shall be 
point unto you (/ promise you) a kingdom, k as My Father 1 
hath appointed (hath granted) a kingdom unto Me ; that 
as honoured guests ye may eat and drink at My table in 
My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes 
of Israel. 1 (6) I speak not this of you all: I know the 
character and the inmost thoughts of those whom I have 
chosen m as My Apostles ; but the traitor is permitted to go tlirone of His glory, ye 

. . . 7 .. i cm • " p inn 1 also shall sit upon twelve 

on still in his wickedness, that the Scripture may be lumlied thrones,judgin g the twelve 
which saith, "He that eateth bread with Me and ^ es 28 of IsraeL Ma " 
whom I trusted as Mine own familiar friend, hath, like an , — do ye not know that 

* _ ; . > . . . ' J the saints shall judge the 

ungrateful animal that injures its feeder, lifted up his world? lCor. vi. 2. 
heel against Me" (see Ps. xli. 9). Now I tell you this 
before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may not 
be disconcerted by such an event, but may believe more 
firmly that I am He — even the Messiah predicted by the 
Psalmist, the Searcher of all hearts, and who foreknoweth 



m Have not I chosen 
you twelve, and one ot'you 
is a devil. John vi. 70. 



n And the King shall 
answer and say unto 
them, Inasmuch as ye 
have done it unto one of 

all things. And whatever ye may see Me suffer, remember, the least of these My bre- 

/, , i ± t i j> - i j. thren, ve have done it 

for your consolation and support, ivhat 1 before said unto U nto Me. Matt. xxv. 

you : Verily, verily, I say unto you again, He that receiveth 4 \ e received me as au 

whomsoever I send, shall be esteemed as one that receiveth angel of Godr-«ven^as 

Me ; n and he that receiveth Me, receiveth Him that sent He that receiveth you', 

Me °— for My Father in heaven will regard it as an acknow- ^tSl 

ledgment of Himself Him ^ sent Me - Matt 



x. 40 

° Jesus cried and said. He that believeth in Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. 



John xii. 44. 



( 6 ) And sit on thrones, ^c] See Section C, Note 7. 



320 



section cxvn. 

He sits down to eat the Paschal Supper with the Twelve ; 
when He foretells His betrayal by Jcdas, and the three- 
fold denial of Him by Peter. 

Matt. xxvi. 21—25. 33—35. Mark xix. 15—21. 29—31. 
Luke xxii. 21—23, 33. 34. John xiii, 21— 35. 

TT^HEX Jesus had thus said, — the devil having now 
t \ put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's 
son. to betray Him, — He was troubled in spirit at such 
impiety in one of His own followers. And as they sat and 
did eat. Jesus testified more plainly to them and said. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you which 
eateth with Me shall be the one that is to betray Me : yea. 
behold, the hand of him which betrayeth Me is even now 
with Me on the table. Then the disciples were exceeding 
sorrowful, and looked round anxiously one on another, 
perplexed and doubting of whom it was that He spake : 
and all. with the exception of Judas, being conscious of their 
innocence, they began first to enquire among themselves 
which of them it was (it could possibly be) that should do 
this -monstrous thing; and then began every one of them 
to say unto Him, one by one. Lord, is it I ? But He, 
overcome with emotion, as yet answered none of them. 

Now there was one of His disciples, namely. John the 
son of Zebedee. whom Jesus tenderly and more especially 

* — the disciple whom . , 1 " . 77 7 

Jesus loved: this is the loved ; a and he was reclining at the table close to His 

^tie^fgs.^oS Master, leaning as it were on Jesus" bosom. Simon Peter 
™.- therefore beckoned to him. that he should ask who it 

t> Ought not Christ to should be of whom He spake. He then lying on Jesus* 

have suffered these things. , . . - , 7 , „. T , , ... T 

and to enter into His breast, saith privately unto Him. Lord, who is it: Jesus 
SSLSMlfe ^swered,. He it is to whom I shall give a sop • portion of 
phets, He expounded un- the lamb, or of the unleavened bread . when I have dipped 

to them in all the Scrip- . , . ' TT , , . , • , 7 j 

tures, the things concern- it. And when He had dipped the sop m the sauce prepared 

mg Himself. Lukexxiv. f(J ^ ^ ^ -.^.^ Hg ^ ft tQ J udas Iscanot . fa 

, TT . , . . .. . son of Simon. And then He answered and said unto them. 

e Him being delivered _ , 

bv the determinate coun- so that all might hear. It is one of the twelve, even he that 

Sod^yehar^^enf and nov: dippeth his hand with Me in the dish: the same shall 

cLntf^dsiam S betray Me. The Son of man indeed goeth {U to depart % 

»■ 23 - as it is written b in the Scriptures and determined 0 " of Him 



_ V) As it is written and determined.] The pre- 
dictions in the Old Testament, here confirmed 
by Jesus Himself, did not at all interfere with 
the free-agency of the traitor : for before Judas 
left the Supper-room, he received the fullest 
warning of the consequences. All the earliest 
ancient writers held the same rational and con- 



i sisteni opinion. " The Divine Prescience (says 
Ghrysostom) is no: the cause o: man's wickedness, 
nor does it induce any necessity of it : Judas 
was not a traitor because God foresaw it ; but 
He foresaw it, because Judas would be so." See 

i Section CVL. Note 1. 



JUDAS ISCARIOT IS DECLARED TO BE THE TRAITOR. 321 

in the Divine Counsels ; but, nevertheless, woe unto that man 
— since the wickedness of the act is entirely his own, — by 
whom the Son of man is betrayed : so dreadful shall be his 
punishment, that it had been good for that man if he had 
not been born. 

Then Judas Iscariot, which indeed proved to be the one 
that betrayed Him, answered, lest his silence might excite 
suspicion or sheiv a consciousness of guilt, and said, Master, 
is it I of whom Thou speakest ? He said unto him, It is as 
thou hast said. And after the sop had been eaten by Judas, 

Satan entered into him more completely than before ; and, as & j u das Lad the bag, 

the Council of rulers was yet sitting, he ivas on the point oj ZhnI™. pU * 

proceeding to accomplish his purpose: Then said Jesus unto e _ ^ rf feastinCT 

him, — to convince him that all his plans were perfectly known and joy, and of sending 

and understood, — That which thou doest, do quickly. Now f^%,% e p 001 - 

as these words were unintelligible to the rest, no man at the f We see j esuSj who 

table knew for what immediate intent He spake this unto \ as made a little lower 

1 than the angels for the 

him : for some of them thought, that, because Judas had the suffering of death, crown- 
bag d which contained their little store of money, Jesus had in Heh" ii. | lor} andhonour " 
effect said unto him, Buy without delay those sacrifices and ^J^SdSSS 
other things that we have need of against the remainder of death, even the death of 
the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor, e aboTath highly Waited 
which it was customary to do on these occasions. — He then, Him - PhlL u - 8 ' 9 - 
having thus received the sop, went immediately out to - e * esas . said ' Father, 

° . . the hour is come : glorify 

effect his purpose : and it was then night. Thy Son, that thy Son 

Therefore, when he was gone out, and thus the prelimi- giorify^hou^Me with 

nary step towards the betrayal was taken. Jesus said, Now Thine s ®if with the 

v r . . glory which I had with 

is the Son of man about to be glorified f by that Exaltation Thee before the world 

which shall succeed His sufferings ; and God is equally ' glo- ^ as ' 0 nxAU - » 

rified in Him, making manifest the Divine justice, and wisdom, ne Jg ^ r thT earth 

and goodness, in finishing the qreat work of Redemption. And " ntil ^ '■ and 

* i •• -J- i 4~r- ^ e sun was darkened, 

if God be glorified m Him, the mutual relation between the and the vail of the Temple 

Father and the Son must be perfect : God shall also glorify Jow when^e^nturion 

Him even in and with Himself :SW and moreover He shall saw .75 a * ™ s doue u he 

7 _ glorified God, saying, Ler- 

straightway, — even in the midst of all His sufferings, — glorify tainiy this was a righ- 

H 7 , 7Z . 7/ , , * ■ teous man. Luke xxiii. 

im both by signs on earth and from heavens- 44, 45, 47. 

Little children/ 3 ) Yet a little while longer I am with you; 1 Then said Jesus unt0 

ye shall seek Me in vain : and, as I said unto the Jews, 1 them > Ye } a 1Me : v ^ e 

• 7 am I with yon, and then 

whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you: 1 go unto Him that sent 

T7 7 #7 • n • 7 7 7 1 " j. Me. Ye shall seek Me, 

Your work on earth remains unfinished, and ye cannot as yet and shall not fioi Me ; 

ascend to the place of My destination. As a departing and wher ® 1 am > thl T tb , er 

■* u u J ye cannot come. Jonn 

friend, who would leave behind Him the firmest bond of vii. 33, 34. 



C 2 ) Glorify Him in Himself.'] If the words I 
"in Himself" be here referred to the Son, the 
same truth is conveyed ; for the glory is still His 
own, though given by the Father. It cannot be 
determined which is the more correct sense, but 
that given above with the text seems preferable, 

( 3 ) Little eh ildreti ] This common appellation, 
expressive of affection (especially parental), was 
applied among the ancients by teachers to their 



I pupils, and also by superiors generally to in- 
feriors. The term " children" is often given to 
Christians, implying that the Divine Being sus- 
tains towards the faithful the endearing relation 
of Father: See particularly Rom. viii. 14, 15. 
At Gal. iv. 19, St. Paul uses the precise expres- 
sion in the text. St. John, fhe Evangelist by 
whom it is here employed, has adopted it no less 
than seven times in his first Epistle. 

Y 



322 



THE DENIAL BY PETER IS FORETOLD. 



strength and consolation, I give this as a new Command- 
k Let us do good unto ment f4) unto you : — That, as Christian brethren, ye love 

all men, especially uuto , .„ . 7 7 . . m 

them who are of the on e another : if possible, as disinterestedly and affection- 

householdof faith. Gal. aMy ^ j W 1(mjd yQ ^ ^ JQ ^ ^ ^ another#k 

Every one that loveth Let mutual love become the distinguishing badge of your 

Him that begat, loveth . . . * , r 

him also that is begotten profession ; for by this shall all men know that ye are My 

of Him. 1 John v. 1. d j sci p le ^ if ye haye loye Qne to anothe r. 

Simon Peter, surprised at his Master's announcement 
of so soon leaving them, said unto Him, Lord, whither 
goest Thou that we cannot follow Thee ? Jesus answered 
Him, Whither I go, thou canst not [art unable to) follow 
1 Jesus saith unto Peter, Me now, but thou shalt follow Me afterwards 1 (5) both to 
thee] y when 7 ' thou 7 wait death and to glory. But Peter answered and said unto 
LTSataiSJtwhi^ Him > Lord, why cannot I follow Thee even now? Though 
thou wouidest ; but when all men shall be offended and fall away because of Thee, 

thou shalt be old, thou ,-mt i rriix -i-r-i, • i 

shait stretch forth thy yet will 1 never be onended : 1 am ready, Lord, to go with 
gM d L a e!lnr c t^tt Thee this moment, both into prison and to death; I will 
whither th-u wouidest not. cheerfully lay down my life for Thy sake. 

—This spake He, signi- ~ * J J J 

fying by what death he Jesus answered and saith unto him, Peter, thou little 

S'nf i°9. lfy °° d J ° hn knottiest thine own inherent weakness : wilt thou indeed lay 

shortly i must put off down thy life for My sake ? Verilv, verily, I say unto 

this my tabernacle, as the m • • • " • 

Lord Jesus Christ hath thee, That this day, even in this very night, before the 
s ewe me. e . 1. . CQC ^ crow twice (6) (before the time of cock-crowing), thou, 
— even thou, self-confident as thou art, — shalt thrice 
deny that thou so much as know est Me. But Peter 
now spake the more vehemently (7) , and said unto Him, 
Though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny 
(disown) Thee in any wise. Likewise also said all the 
disciples. 



( 4 ) A new Commandment.] The command 
of neighbourly, or universal love, does not seem 
to be intended here (although that was a renewed 
command enforced by new motives, and had 
been in a manner abrogated by universal disuse) . 
St. John expressly says elsewhere, that phi- 
lanthropy or universal love is "?io new com- 
mandment" (see 1 John ii. 7 — 10; iii. 11; 2 
John 5.) The virtue here so strongly recom- 
mended and enjoined, seems to be brotherly love 
among Christians : the disciples of Christ are 
especially called upon " to love one another 
and the Evangelist, in one of his Epistles, makes 
the assurance of our being in Christ to depend on 
the performance of this particular duty (1 John 
iii. 14). In countries where all profess Chris- 
tianity, the two virtues are apt to be confounded, 
but St. Peter carefully marks the distinction, 
" Addto brotherly kindness, charity ;" " Above all 
things have fervent charity among yourselves'''' 
(1 Pet. iv. 8 ; 2 Pet. i. 7).— In fulfilment of the 
words in the text, " By this shall all men know," 
&c, we learn from Tertullian, that this was the 
mark and means by which the disciples of Jesus 
were known in early days ; and it became a 
common remark among their enemies, " See how 
these Christians love one another!" We learn 
from Tradition, that the beloved Disciple, who 
records this beautiful discourse, was accustomed 



to be carried in his old age to church, and being 
no longer capable of preaching, would merely say, 
" Little children, love one another :" when asked 
why he always dwelt on the same theme, he re- 
plied, " Because it is the Lord's command, and 
if this be done, it is sufficient." 

( 5 ) Thou canst not follow Me now, but, fyc.] 
Peter, notwithstanding the warmth and loyalty of 
affection which prompted his reply, had not as 
yet the martyr's spirit ; but our Lord's prediction, 
here first obscurely intimated, of Peter's dying 
like Himself on the Cross, was afterwards liter- 
ally fulfilled. See Section CXXXVIIL, Note 6. 

( 6 ) Before the cock crow twice.] St. Mark 
alone speaks of the cock crowing twice. A 
double crowing of this vigilant bird is spoken of 
by ancient authors ; one at midnight, and the 
other (more emphatically called "cock-crowing") 
to which the three Evangelists refer, at break of 
day. St. Mark particularly records that the 
cock crew after Peter's first denial, and again a 
second time after his third denial (see Mark xiv. 
68 — 72) : thus the three denials had taken place 
before the regular "cock-erowing" in the morning. 

(7) Peter spake the more vehemently.] Peter 
still relied on his own strength, instead of asking, 
as he ought to have done, the necessary aid of 
Him, from whom all human sufficiency is derived. 
Hence we iearn, how ignorant of themselves 



323 



SECTION CXVIII. 

Jesus institutes the Sacrament of His Body and Blood; 
and consoles hls disciples with the promise of another 
Comforter. 

Matt, xxvi, 26—30. Mark xiv. 22—26. Luke xxii. 15—20, 
John xiv. 1 — 31. 

AND He said unto them, With earnest desire I have 
desired 0) to eat thispassover with you before I suffer. 
For I say unto you, That, after this, I will not any more 
eat thereof, until it (this paschal type) be fulfilled a in the . a c ^*° ur passover, 
Kingdom of God, and become changed into reality by the v. i. 
oblation of the true Paschal Lamb, redeeming all men from 
spiritual bondage? 0 And, after the other usual ceremonies & — that through death 
had been performed, He took the cupW of thanksgiving, toith * e 0 m ^ T \wJ SE 
ivhich the feast commenced, and gave thanks, and said, Take nme subject to bondage. 

? /* t t Heb. ii. 14, 15. 

this and divide it among yourselves : for I say unto you, 1 
will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the Kingdom 
of God shall come, and I partake of it with you after a new 
and a spiritual manner. 

And as they were yet eating, though about to finish 
supper, Jesus took bread, and gave thanks (3) [blessed God, 
Mark], and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and 
said, Take and eat ; this bread is (represents) My body/ 4 ) 



men are ; and that, to be virtuous, it is not enough 
merely to form resolutions. "We learn also that 
violent impulse is not the same as firm determina- 
tion, and that religious excitement may fail in pro- 
ducing ultimate obedience. Too often does such 
mere excitement of the feelings usurp the place 
of practical efforts to serve God ; and, unhappily, 
such notions form a part of the popular theology 
of our own day. It is true that emotion is often 
the first stirring of Divine Grace, but it is not 
therefore the highest state of the Christian mind. 
Such feelings come and go ; and that man alone 
has perfect peace, and is free from all agitated 
feelings, whose mind is calmly stayed on God 
(Isa. xxvi. 3). It is observable, that our Blessed 
Lord set no example of passionate devotion, of 
enthusiastic wishes, or of intemperate words : a 
deep tranquillity and a calm simplicity pervaded 
His whole character. 

( J ) With desire I have desired.] This was a 
Hebrew mode of expression. It occurs at Gen. 
xxxi. 30, and in the Septuagint Version Laban 
addresses Jacob in the same Greek phrase which | 
is here employed by St. Luke. 

( 2 ) And He took the cup, <%c.] Some cere- 
monies usually preceded this act. First, the rite 
was explained to any young persons present. 
Psalms were then said or sung, particularly the 
118th, as significant of the coming of Christ. 
There were, altogether, four cups of wine passed 
round ; the first being the cup of thanksgiving, the 
one here alluded to. That which they called 



"the cup of blessing," (equivalent to our saying 
Grace) is the one which is supposed to have been 
advanced by our Lord into the Cup commemo- 
rative of His death. See 1 Cor. x. 16. 

( 3 ) Gave thanks.'] In some editions of St. 
Matthew's Gospel there is predominant evidence 
for the same original expression which St. Luke 
here employs. Hence the name which this Rite 
afterwards received, as a " Sacrifice of Praise and 
Thanksgiving." The Sacramental blessing, 1 Cor. 
x. 1 6, is at 1 Cer. xi. 24 interpreted by the giving 
of thanks. 

( 4 ) This is My body.] It is remarkable that 
this is the only expression used on one single 
occasion, which is recorded separately, by each 
Evangelist, in the same words. Our Lord uses 
a figure, because the language in which He 
spake has no verb equivalent to our "signify" 
or "represent," The Scriptures usually speak 
thus in Sacramental matters : thus the lamb is 
called "the Passover" (Exod. xii. 11), though it 
was only the sign of it. At Gen. xli. 26, "the 
seven ears of corn are seven years." The Apostles 

| would be accustomed to such phrases, and there- 
fore would readily understand the Bread as repre- 
senting the body of Christ. It is objected, that the 
pronoun " This," being of the neuter gender in 
the Greek of the Evangelist, cannot agree with 
" Bread," which is of the masculine ; but similar 
modes of writing occur in the best Greek trage- 
dians, and the same pronoun employed here is ap- 
plied by one of them to a woman (see Sophl. Antig. 
ii. 650—1 ex Recens. Brunck). St. Paul twice 

Y2 



324 



THE INSTITUTION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



« The Lord Jesus, the w hi c h j s freely given and is to be bruised for you : this do 

same night in which He , v ■, -» «- in 

was betrayed, took bread, in perpetual remembrance of Me c (5) and of the benefits 

and when He had given 

thanks, He brake it, and said, Take, eat ; this is My body which is broken for you; this do in remembrance of 
Me. After the same manner, also, He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament 
in My blood : this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and 
drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come. 1 Cor. xi. 23 — 26. 



speaks of the material substance as being still 
Bread after its consecration ; and our Lord says 
of the Wine, that it was still " the fruit of the 
vine," and so not changed, substantially, into His 
blood. Common sense seems to require the 
figurative interpretation ; for otherwise, our Lord 
must have held Himself in his own hands, and 
it might as reasonably be argued that He was 
literally " a door" (John x. 9), or " a vine," as He 
had typified Himself on the same evening. Even 
a heathen could see the absurdity of such a line 
of argument : " When we call wine Bacchus, and 
our grain Ceres," writes Cicero, " we only use 
a common figure of speech ; but can you suppose 
any person so silly as to believe that what he 
feeds upon is God ?" (Ecquem tam amentem esse 
putas, qui illud quo vescatur Deum eredat esse ? 
De Natura Deorum, lib. iii. n. 28.) 

It is upon the literal interpretation of our 
Lord's words, that the repulsive and untenable 
dogma of Transubstantiation has been built by the 
Roman Church — thus completely overthrowing 
the very nature of a Sacrament, which " consists 
of a sign and of the thing it signifies. " According 
to the Romish view, the bread and wine, on 
consecration, lose their own substance and be- 
come the body and blood of Christ ; but as they 
still appear to be the same as before consecration, 
this hypothesis is helped out by another, that 
though the substance be changed, the accidents 
or qualities remain. The Council of Trent de- 
fined, in as plain terms as could be used, that 
"the very God we worship" is eaten in this 
Sacrament (Concil. Trid., Sess. 13, cap. 5). 
Scripture, to which they venture to appeal, 
(though Bellarmine, their most eminent con- 
troversialist, grants that the doctrine cannot be 
proved from it,) appears most decisive against 
them. The reason why Moses compelled the 
Jews to drink of the golden calf beaten to powder, 
seems to have been (as Jerome observes) "that 
they might learn to contemn what went down 
into the draught ;" and Jeremiah informs the cap- 
tive Jews, that the Babylonians worshipped what 
afterwards they would eat, by which it might be 
known they were "no gods." Our Lord's decla- 
ration to the Apostles, (at a supper previous to 
this,) " that they would not continue to have Him 
bodily present among them, as they had the 
poor" (see Matt. xxvi. 11), seems alone sufficient 
to destroy the doctrine of Transubstantiation. — 
But the appeal is chiefly made to Tradition. 
Certainly some few of the Fathers have expressed 
themselves in what, with our experience, we 
should term incautious language ; but some of 
the most eminent, when they had occasion to 
refute an imputation of heathen objectors, 
" that the Christians ate human flesh," reject 
that imputation as a vile and abominable calumny : 
Justin Martyr says in his Apology, " It is an 
infamous thing, and falsely is reported of us 
Irenceus, that it was "a plain mistake to think 
the Sacrament was really Christ's flesh and 
blood ;" and Origen, that " the understanding 
our Saviour's words according to the letter, is a 



letter that killeth" (Homily on Lev. x.). From 
Transubstantiation has proceeded the belief of 
what is technically called opus operatum — which 
is, that the Body and the Blood of Christ pos- 
sess an intrinsic value, not depending on the 
disposition of the receiver, but operating on all 
who do not obstruct the operation by mortal sin : 
it is difficult to conceive a tenet more destructive 
to the soul, for its obvious tendency is to substi- 
tute the form of religion for its power. Another 
fatal consequence of the whole doctrine is an 
undue exaltation of the minister's office ; for a 
victim requires a sacrificer, and he who is thought 
able to convert a wafer into a God, comes to be 
regarded with more reverence than is due from 
one fallible mortal to another ; thus, too, is 
eclipsed the glory of the Intercessory office of our 
Lord, the only Priest (in the proper acceptation 
of that term) of the New Covenant ; and Chris- 
tians are brought back, by an unexpected road, 
to a Levitical priesthood and the elements of the 
Law. 

( 5 ) This do in remembrance of Me.~\ All de- 
nominations of Christians (with the solitary 
exception of the Quakers) comply with this 
demand of the Saviour; and though some may 
exalt it too high, and many more degrade it too 
low, it is generally retained as an indispensable 
part of Divine Service. It is, indeed, the proper 
and distinguishing act of our religion, the great 
appointed means of Renovation and Remission 
of our sins, and the badge of Christian men's 
profession ; for though we may attend a place of 
worship, we cannot be considered as members of 
the Church, unless we comply with this last 
command of its Founder. It pleased Him to 
unite His people into one Society by two Sacra- 
ments, — both easy to be observed, and both most 
important in their meaning : the one, Baptism, 
admits into covenant with Him ; the other, a 
devout commemoration of His death, marks con- 
tinuance in it. If the view be correct that the 
sixth chapter of St. John's Gospel is an antici- 
pation of this Sacrament, which many good and 
learned men have considered it to be, the 53rd 
verse deserves the serious attention of every 
Christian (see Section LXIIL, latter part of 
Note 11). — The lamentable infrequency of com- 
munion must arise from some misconception either 
of its nature, or of the qualifications of a commu- 
nicant. Many hastily apply to themselves the lan- 
guage of St. Paul, who had occasion to re- 
prove the Corinthians for perverting this solemn 
feast into an occasion of intemperance (1 Cor. 
xi.) : he tells them (ver. 29), that they ate and 
drank to themselves " damnation ;" but that 
this by no means refers to eternal punishment is 
evident from the context: it signifies no more 
than condemnation and temporal visitations in 
this world. No one can now be guilty of not 
distinguishing the Lord's Supper from a common 
meal ; and the very fear which keeps such 
persons away from this Sacrament, is a proof 
that they would not willingly receive it in an un- 
worthy manner. — As to preparation, the feeblest 



THE INSTITUTION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER. 



325 



of My death, until I come again to judge the ivorld. And 
likewise also, after Supper, He took the Cup, d called the 
Cup of Blessing, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, 
saying, Drink ye all of it :^ 6) and accordingly they all drank 
of it : For, — He said in continuation unto them, — the 
wine contained in this cup is [represents) My blood — even 
the blood of the Sacrifice slain for the ratification of the 
New Testament e ^ [is the seal of the New Testament, or 
Covenant, established in My blood, Luke], which is to be 
shed for you, and for many f (for multitudes — even for the 
whole world), for the remission of sins. But verily I say 
again unto you, Henceforth I will drink no more of this 
fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it in a new 
and spiritual manner with you in the Kingdom of God, 
My Father.^ 8 ) 

Let not your heart be troubled at what I have said to 
you of My departure, and of your own impending trials : 
believe ye in God, and believe also in Me as One with Him, 
— placing your entire trust in the Divine promises. In My 



d The Cup of Blessing 
which we bless, is it not 
the Communion of the 
Blood of Christ. 1 Cor. 
x. 16. 

e Behold the days 
come, saith the Lord, that 
I will make a New Cove- 
nant with the house of 
Israel, and with the house 
of Judah. Jer xxxi. 31. 

1 The Son of man 
came to give His life a 



ransom for many. 
28. 



Matt. 



K If any man hear My 
voice ; I will come in to 
him ; and will sup with 
him, and he with Me. 
Rev. hi. 20. 



aspiration after holiness is a sufficient warrant for 
us to come, for all such desires are excited in us 
by the Holy Spirit, in order that we may be 
drawn to God. That degree of goodness unto 
which some would attain before receiving the 
Holy Communion, is not to be had but by the use 
of it : it is not proposed as a reward for our 
being good, — any more than it is a proof of our 
being so,' — but as a means of making us good. 

( 6 ) Drink ye all of it.] Though nothing can 
be more plain than that these words concern all 
believers, yet that Church, which exclusively 
arrogates the title of Catholic, has by authority, 
since the year 1414, taken away the cup from 
the laity. In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius, 
having heard that the Manicheeans partook not 
of the cup, decided that any dividing of the 
Sacrament was a sacrilegious violation of the 
Saviour's positive command. Pope Leo, fifty 
years previous, had expressed a similar opinion. 

When we consider that it was an ancient cus- 
tom to drink wine, instead of blood, for the ratify- 
ing of covenants, we are led to regard the ordinance 
of the Lord's Supper as more than a mere comme- 
moration, although we cannot, with the Romanist, 
regard it as a real sacrifice. It is a federal rite, 
carrying with- it on God's part the force of a con- 
tract ; that (fit qualification on our part being pre- 
sumed) this symbolical communion shall be as a 
deed of conveyance instrumentally investing us 
with the benefits of Christ's death, and conveying 
spiritual grace. If we make this Supper a mere 
commemoration, we make it a strange and unin- 
telligible rite (for what can be more strange than 
eating the flesh of one who is only to be regarded 
as a benefactor ?) ; but conceive it to be " a 
Feast upon a Sacrifice," and all is easy and 
simple. 

The Lord's Supper is called the Sacrament 
(from the Latin word for the military oath which 
bound the Roman soldier), because it pledges the 
participant to allegiance and obedience to his 
Master, " who has bought him with a price,"— 



"whose he is," and under whose banner as a 
faithful soldier he is to serve. It is also called 
(from the Greek) the Eucharist, because the act 
which it represents demands above all others our 
gratitude. Lastly, it is called the Communion, 
because, as St. Paul expresses it (1 Cor. x. 17), 
we are therein partakers of the same bread, and, 
whatever be our external differences, are to re- 
gard ourselves as members of one family, of 
which Christ is the head. 

( 7 ) New Testament.] The word " Testament" 
commonly signifies "a toill;" and though we 
are used to the title as designating the Scrip- 
tures, it tends to obscure the subject. It is in- 
applicable to the Old Covenant, in which no con- 
tracting party died ; and though, with respect to 
the Christian Covenant, the meritorious death of 
our Saviour may seem to justify the term, it is 
not strictly correct. The term Dispensation 
seems the most suitable between parties infinitely 
unequal. 

( 8 ) When I drink it new with you in the Kingdom 
of God } my Father. ] The Future State of Bliss 
is often represented by the image of a Feast. — 
To the promise which was made to the Apostles 
of sitting on thrones in the Regeneration (see 
Section C., Note 7) 5 our Lord afterwards added, 
that they should "eat and drink at His table in 
His kingdom." Under the same view, the pas- 
sage in the text may be understood of a dis- 
tinguished pre-eminence and felicity promised to 
the Apostles,— expressed in a maimer suitable 
to their Jewish notions and prepossessions (see 
Section LXXXVL, Note 4).— It should, how- 
ever, be noticed, that some have considered this 
passage to be an allusion to our Lord's Spiritual 
Presence with the faithful in the Holy Commu- 
nion. It is urged, that this was the last time when 
this Commemorative Supper should represent 
the Egyptian Passover; thenceforward it was to 
take a new signification, becoming the memorial 
of that more noble Sacrifice, of which the deli- 
verance from Egyptian bondage was but a type. 



326 JESUS RE-ASSERTS HIS DIVINITY TO THE APOSTLES. 

Fathers house are many mansions (9) {Heaven contains 
ample space and abiding dwelling-places) for the reward of 
all the faithful : if it were not so, as the Sadducees pretend, 
I would have told you ; / would not have deceived you with 
vain expectations, or have suffered you to give up all that you 
hold dear in this life, for the endurance of persecution : but I 
«» Whither I go, thou die to open heaven to you, and go now before to prepare a 

canst not follow Me now, , n i, a -!•<•</ t'\t i i r 

but thou shait follow Me place for you. 11 And if (when) I go and prepare a place for 
afterwards. John xm. y Qu ^ j come again at the Judgment-day , and receive you 
i where I am there unto Myself, that ye may be partakers of My joy, and that 
shall also My servant he. where 1 am, there ye may be also. 1 And whither I go ye 
Jo1 ^ so shall we ever be know, and the way which leadeth thither, so that ye may 
with rtie Lord, l Thess. f 0 u ow ^ ve know also,foT I have often told you of both. 

But although they had been told so frequently that He 
should go to the Father, and that the way for them to follow 
was by Faith in Him, their thoughts were still dwelling on a 
temporal kingdom : and Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we 
know not whither Thou goest, and how then can we know 
anything of the way ? Jesus saith unto Him, I am the 
* Truth came by Jesus Way by which every man must seek heaven; and the Truth, k 
for I alone teach it ; and the Life, 1 (10) for I am the Author 
John i. 4 Him WaS Life * and Giver °f **■ No man cometh unto the Father in those 
Jesus said, i am the heavenly mansions, but by receiving Me m as his Guide. If 

Life. John si, 25. , r * „ i * r 77777 .7 7 7 

ye had fully known Me, and had duly considered My doc- 
man enter^^^Me^he trine and miracles, ye should have known My Father also, 
shall be saved. John x. W ^ Q ^ as j jem SQ pi a { n iy manifested in them ; and from hence- 
forth ye know Him in Me, and have as it were seen Him. 

Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father in 
some glorious symbol of His presence, such as Moses was 
permitted to behold, and then it sufficeth (that will amply 
satisfy) us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long 
time (more than three years) constantly with you, Philip, 
and yet hast thou not known Me, and discovered My 
true character? I tell you once again, He that hath 
« We beheld His glory, seen Me, hath in effect seen the Father; 11 for the Son 
begotten 7 of ae^atibe? of God is (( very God, the brightness of His Father's glory, 
J °Het i ha 1 t 4 seethMe,seeth and the express image of His Person." And how sayest 
Him that sent Me. John thou then, Shew us the Father, as if thou hadst never 

xii. 45. 

His dear Son, who is seen an V manifestation of Him at all ? Believest thou not 
&e image of tte invisible j n f na ^ essm ti a l union and mutual in-dwelling which I have 



( 9 ) In My Father' 's house are many mansions. ] 
Tertuliian thought that this referred to Degrees 
of Bliss in Heaven, and such is the common view 
taken of the text; but it is not supported by 
sufficient authority, true as that doctrine un- 
doubtedly is in itself (see Section CII., Note 9). 
Some have thought that by the expression, " My 
Father's House," the Universe is designated, 
where God is everywhere present, and which 
contains abodes far more desirable for Christians 
than their present earthly dwelling-place. But 
the assurance of a permanent and abundant re- 



ward in heaven, sufficient for all men if they 
would seek for it, appears to be all that is here in- 
tended. — Our Lord sometimes called the Temple 
"His Father's House;" and as it was noted 
for its numerous chambers, there may be an in- 
direct allusion to the circumstance. 

( 10 ) / am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.] 
This, perhaps, is a Hebraism ; and if so, it may 
be simply rendered, tC I am the true and living 
Way." Thus Daniel (iii. 7) writes, "All the 
people, the nations, and the languages," for 
" The people of all nations and languages." 



THE COMFORTER IS PROMISED. 



327 



so often revealed to you — that I am in the Father, and the ° God was in Christ, 

Father in Me ?° There is between Us a perfect community SSS^aoi^Jf" 

of counsel and power : the words that I speak unto you, M In e P im dweiieth ail 

^ r r J ' the fulness of the God- 

I speak not of Myself P alone ; and the works that I do, I do head bodily. Col. ii. 19. 

not of Myself alone ; but the Father that dweiieth in Me, P He whom God hath 

by the Holy Spirit, He also concurrently speaketh the words s< r n ^ s P eaketb - the words 

7 1111 ti T Ti/r 01 G ° d ' tor God ^ veth 

and doetn the works.*! Believe Me, as you surely may even not the Spirit by measure 

on My own testimony, that I am thus in the Father, and the "T ^ ea k tha?V£ch 4 i 

Father in Me; or else, if thou believest not for My sake, ^ S j 0 n hn w *£ 3 ^ y Fa " 
believe Me for the very works* sake, r when those works so ma- 

• n .7 7 /» n 7 xt -i -it . 1 No man can do these 

nifestly proceed from God. Verily, verily, I say unto you, miracles that Thou doest 

There shall be displayed yet more complete manifestations of jXniiPjf be with him ' 
the Divine Power : he among you that belie veth in Me, the 

like wonderful works that I do, shall he do also ; and, for the Fa'ther hath given Mc^to 

more effectual propagation of the Gospel, he shall do works {j^ 1 }' d^beaT^tnesTof 

even greater in their result than these, s(n) because I go unto Me tliat the Father hath 

My Father to send doivn that power ivhich shall enable him to if i do not the works 
do them. And whatsoever ye shall ask for the furtherance 

of the great work committed to you, — remembering always to y e believe not Me, believe 

+ i -n t i 77 7 i the works ' that y e ma y 

ask it m Myname, 1 — that will 1 do, or enable you to do, that know and believe that the 

the Father may still be glorified here in the Son after His Sf^jS^ 

Ascension into heaven. Let this then be your never-failing g . 

encouragement : if ye shall ask anything, be it what it may, follow them that believe : 

in My name, I will assuredly do it .» ^ 33 

If ye indeed love Me, shew that such is your disposition, xvi - 11 - 

and keep My commandments : v for love is but the seed; * Ye men of Israel, 

holiness is the fruit. And if you thus evince your fidelity, on uTas^nigh^wur 

I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another ^,3^'=* 

Comforter/ 12 ) that He may abide with you, not for a time walk? His name, 

J through faith in His name, 
hath made this man strong. Acts iii. 12, 16. — And now, Lord, grant unto Thy servants, that signs and wonders 
may be done by the name of Thy holy child, Jesus. Acts iv. 29, 30. 

u All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matt. xxi. 22. 

v — shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments. Exod. xx. 6. — Ye 
are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. John xv. 14. — This is the love of God, that we keep His 
commandments. 1 John v. 3. 



( n ) He shall do works greater than these. - ] 
The miracles wrought by the Apostles were not 
essentially greater ; for although diseases were 
healed by Peter's shadow, and by napkins sent 
from Paul's body, no miracles could possibly be 
so illustrious as those performed by our Lord : 
yet in their effects the works of the Apostles 
were permitted to be greater. After the descent 
of the Holy Spirit, the Gospel became spread 
abroad in the most astonishing manner, thou- 
sands being converted by a single sermon (Acts 
ii. 40, 41). The Apostles had the wonderful gift 
of Tongues as well as of Prophecy, with the power 
of imparting the same to others ; yet such gifts, 
of course, demonstrate the power, not of the 
agent, but of the Great Giver of them. It was a 
greater work in Jesus, while in Heaven, to assist 
them thus powerfully by His Spirit, than to do 
miracles personally, however great, in their 
presence. 

( la ) / will pray the Father, and He shall give 
you another Comforter.] Though the original 



word Paraclete includes other important senses, 
it is not inaptly rendered " Comforter" in this 
Consolatory discourse ; and the word seems inva- 
riably used in the same sense in the Septuagint. 
St. John alone employs it in the New Testament ; 
and in his writings, it further bears the sense 
of Instructor : likewise the very important one 
of Advocate, or Intercessor — that is, one who 
undertakes to act effectually for another, and to 
plead his cause. In this sense it would seem that 
the Jews understood the term. — Thus in Scrip- 
ture we have the Son and the Spirit called by the 
same title, and the same office of Intercession is 
ascribed to each (compare Rom. viii. 26 with 
Heb. vii. 25 and 1 John ii. 1); but then they are 
Advocates in different courts, — the Son pleading 
His own merits for us in His Father's Presence, 
— the Spirit, as His vicegerent, pleading with men, 
and having for His province the human heart. 

In this discourse, recorded by St. John (ch. 
xiv.) we have several remarkable illustrations of 
the truth of the Trinity, and of the Divinity of the 



328 



OBEDIENCE, THE PROOF OF LOVE TO CHRIST. 



only as I have done, but for ever ; even the Blessed Spirit 
w when He, the Spirit 0 f Truth , w the author of all Truth and the importer of 'it ; 

of Truth, is come, He will ' J r J . 

guide you into all Truth, whom the corrupt and unbelieving world cannot receive, 
because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him x {it hath 
ceiveA h not a \h?\hrng S r of ne ^ er an V perception nor knowledge of Spiritual things') ; 
the Spirit of God; for but ye already know Him in part, for He dwelleth with 

thev are foolishness unto 77, 7 y. 7 1 i n 1 

him: neither can he know you, ana hath wrought by you, and shall soon be m you more 
tZi\ y lh^^ 7 Tc&. abundantly. I will not leave you comfortless,— a* destitute 

u - orphans who have lost their earthly guide and protector : I 

will come again to you by My Spirit, and remain with 

7 Lo, 1 am with you you for ever J Yet a little while longer, and then the world 

alway, even unto the end , _ _ . _ __ ■ + , 7 7 77 7 

of the world. Amen, seetn Me no more ; but ye shall see Me, ana shall know 
experimentally that I am present with you. Because I rise 

deadly thing it shall nTt f TOm the deCtd a)ld live > T e sha11 ^ * als ° : in the midst °f 

hurt them. Mark xvi. is. all your iv or Idly perils and persecutions, " no man shall set on 

Persecuted, hut not for- 7 , . n r , 

saken; cast down hut not you to hurt you, except in so jar as I may permit ; and 
t^ZXt:il,j e Z V™ shaU ** for ever in eternity- At that day, when 1 
dying of the Lord Jesus, send the Comforter, ye shall know, in all its reality and 

that the life also of Jesus . ±1 7 '\ n * lt 7 . ,. , 7 . 

might he made manifest 
in our hody. 2 Cor. iv. 
9, 10. 



without a shadow of doubt, how intimate and inseparable is 
the union between the Father and Me, and also between the 
Son, as the great Christian Head, and His members — that I 
am indeed in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. b 
But bear constantly in mind that the indispensable condition 
of such high privileges is Obedience, — a principle ever inse- 
fied, yet He liveth : for par ably connected with true Love : he that hath My com- 

we also shall live with -. .. , 7 7 . 7 . , 71 ,i"',7 

Him hy the power of manaments in remembrance, and diligently keepetn them, 
God. 2Cor.xih.4. bfi it is that really i ove th Me ; and he that loveth Me 
t> That they ail may be ^\\ De \ ovec \ 0 f My Father, and I also will love him, and 

one; as Ihou, father, 
art in Me, and I in Thee, 
that they also may he one 
in Us. John xvii. 21. 



a Now is Christ risen 
from the dead, and be- 
come the first fruits of 
them that slept. 1 Cor. 
xv. 20. 

Though He was cruci- 



will manifest Myself to him. 

Judas, c — -not Iscariot, for he, though his heart was the 
and "chrfst ^GodVi^i mos ^ se t 071 ^ em P ora ^ things, was too finished a hypocrite 
ever to speak openly of them; but Jude, the brother of 
James, — saith unto Him, interrupting His discourse, Lord, 
how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not 



Cor. iii. 23. 



c — Judas, the bro- 
ther of James ; and Judas 
Iscariot. Luke vi. 16. 



Holy Spirit. At ver. 16 of the chapter, our Lord 
promises the Comforter ("which," as He after- 
wards distinctly says, " is the Holy Gho*t," ver. 
26), to abide with His disciples for ever ; but 
He goes on to speak of Himself as the Comforter 
who would so come to them (ver. 18) ; and soon 
after, speaking of the Father's love to the faithful 
Christian, He adds, "We will come unto him, and 
make Our abode with him" (ver. 23). — Again, 
the words, " I will pray the Father, &c," show 
us the distinct Persons of the Godhead in their 
several offices ; the Son as Redeemer entreating 
for us, the Father granting, and the Spirit coming 
for our consolation. — At the 17th verse we have 
the Spirit described as dwelling in the faithful: the 
same is said of the Father (1 Cor. xiv. 25), and 
of the Son (2 Cor. xiii 5). — -At the 26th verse, 
the title of Holy is ascribed to the Spirit : the 
same is said of the Father (Rev. xv. 4), and of 
the Son (Acts iii. 14). The Spirit is shown to be I 



the Spirit of the Father (Matt, x. 20), and the 
Spirit of the Son (Rom. viii. 9 ; Gal. iv. 6; 1 Pet. 
i. 11). — In other parts of Scripture the names 
of God are as clearly ascribed to the Holy Spirit. 
When St. Peter condemns Ananias for lying 
to the Holy Ghost, he tells him that he had 
"lied unto God" (Acts v. 4): and St. Paul 
tells the Corinthians that "the Lord is that 
Spirit" (2 Cor. iii. 17). All the Attributes 
of the Deity are spoken of as equally per- 
taining to the Holy Ghost : He is Omniscient, 
for He"searcheth all things" (1 Cor. ii. 10), 
and "guideth into all truth" (John xvi. 13) : 
He is Omnipresent, for the Psalmist enquires, 
" Whither could he go from the Spirit ? " He 
is Eternal, for He existed before the world was 
made (Gen. i. 2). — It may be added, that, in all 
ages of the Church, Divine honours have been 
paid to the Third Person in the Holy Trinity, 
equally with the Father and the Son. 



JESUS BEQUEATHS HIS PEACE TO HIS FOLLOWERS. 329 

also unto the world, seeing that Thou art to reign over all 

nations? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man 

really love Me, he will, as I was observing to you, keep My 

words, and will prove their influence by his actions ; and then 

My Father will love him, and We will both come unto 

him, and by the in-dwelling Spi?Ht make Our continued abode 

with him : d and thus will there be an effectual manifestation a Know ye not that ye 

of Myself—although a Spiritual one— to the faithful Chris- S^fi^J^ 

tian, which cannot be vouchsafed to the world? He that is dweiiethinyou? icor. 

worldly and loveth Me not, keepeth not My Sayings, and In Whom ye also are 

therefore cannot be loved either by My Father or Myself: and ^£^5£jg£ 

what I declare and teach may well demand the attention E P b - »• 22 - 

and diligent observance of every man, for the Word which e The carnal mind is 

ye hear Me speak is not Mine alone, but it is the Father's rTs^ot 8a subject°to the 

which sent Me ; and thus he that rejects Me and My ^ ^^VS" 

doctrine, rejects the Father also. f 7- 

These things have I spoken unto you, My faithful fol- { Ye have not His 
lowers, for your consolation and instruction, being yet present 2 He^nafh^en^Him 
with you. You will not perfectly comprehend them now ; but g belieTC cot. John v. 
the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father 

•n i • ~\ t 7 n -n l tt i ii sr When He, the Spirit 

will send to act m My name ana for My cause, tie snail of Truth, is come, He will 
teach you all things s necessary and important for you to He d shS U re™^e*ofM^j 
know, and shall bring: to your remembrance h all things ,( 13 ) and sh ? ] } shovv h unt0 

' b ' you. John xvi. 13, 14. 

whatsoever they may be that I have said unto you, in order w e speak, not in the 
that you may teach others. Peace I now leave with you, d^teache&^uTwS 
even that Peace of the Holy Spirit " which passeth all under- f ^Sli ?3 host teachetk 
standing." My Peace, 5 — -for it can only be obtained through Ye have an unction 
Me, — I give and bequeath unto you, as My best and part- ye™ know °aU ^things'! 
ing legacy : not as the world giveth, — in unmeaning forms 1 JoJm u- 20, 
and with ineffectual ivishes, — give I unto you ; but solid and h These things under. 

tU n . stood not His disciples at 

lasting peace of mind conferred by an efficacious blessing, the first, but when Jesus 

Therefore let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be membe!-ed m6 they to these 

afraid {neither be disheartened nor intimidated) at any thing thin ^ 3 - Jolmxii - 16 - 

which shall henceforth occur. Ye have heard how I said 1 Bein g justified by 

t . -r, .-. i -r 7 7 i f faith, we have Peace with 

unto you, 1 go away to My Father, and, as I added for your God through our Lord 
consolation, / come again unto you: if ye loved Me with a ^He^oS'peacT Eph! 
right affection, ye would rej oice for My sake because I said, iL 14 - 
I go to My Father ; for / am here as Mediator, in respect to 
which office My Father is greater than I/ 14 ) but I go hence 



( 13 ) And bring to your remembrance all 
things.] Wonderfully has Divine Providence 
watched over the important Doctrines taught by 
the Apostles, though not, indeed, over the par- 
ticular words by which they were conveyed. 
Verbal differences are immaterial when the 
spirit is one : for the Spirit of God is more care- 
ful to guide the thoughts of the heart than the 
words of the lips. And, in fact, the exact words 
of the Apostles are now lost to us, for no two 
ancient copies correspond verbatim throughout. 
But this is no subject for serious regret. The 
readings of various copies, written in countries 



widely distant, sufficiently establish a correct 
text. The number of copies alarms some ; but 
the probability of restoring the genuine text of 
any author increases with the number of copies, 
and the most inaccurate and mutilated editions 
of ancient writers are precisely those of which 
the fewest manuscripts remain. — To point to a 
comparatively modern instance, it has only been 
by collation of copies that the text of Shak- 
speare, who wrote since the invention of printing, 
has been recovered from a very corrupt state. 

( l4 ) My Father is greater than /.] As the 
Athanasian Creed expressly states, Christ is 



330 THE LOVE OF CHRIST TO THE FATHER PROVED BY HIS OBEDIENCE. 

from this world of sorrow to share the glory which I had 
with Him before the world began. And now I have unre- 
servedly told you of My sufferings and death, as well as of 
the Comforter who is to come, before it all come to pass ; 
that, when it is come to pass, ye might not be taken by 
surprise, and that, instead of wavering in your faith under 
the trials that befall you, ye might believe yet more firmly 
that I am the Son of God, invested with all knowledge and 
power both in heaven and in earth. 

I will (/ shall) not have opportunity to talk much with 
you hereafter {after this) ; for Satan the prince {the ruler) 
of this world shortly cometh to encounter and make a 
k Now shall the prince fi na i e ff or ( aqainst Me ; and vet he hath nothing in Me k 

of this world be cast out. J M ' % 77 7 -r, T 

john xii. si. {7io power over Me) as he hath with sinful men. But J 

i He hecame obedient freely yield up My self to death, that the world mav kno^ 

onL de cross eve pM e it a 8 h that 1 trul V love the Father: and as the Father gave Me 
Though He were a Son, commandment, even so I do, 1 proving My love by My 

yet learned He obedience , . . T7 -. -« a « i i 

by the things which He perfect submission to His will. — Arise, let us now go hence. 

suffered. Heb. v. 8. ^ ^ an hymn m ^ Marq j 

of thanksgiving, which it was customary to do at the con- 
clusion of the Paschal feast, they went out into the Mount 
of Olives. 



SECTION CXIX. 

At the Mount of Olives, Jesus again urges some final 
instructions on hls apostles. 

Matt. xxvi. 31, 32. Mark xiv. 27, 28. Luke xxii. 31, 32, 35 — 40. 
John xv. 1—27 j xvi. 1 — 33. 



A 



ND thus Hecame out from the house in which they had 
eaten the Passover, and went, as He was wont, to the 
• At night He went Mount of Olives ; a and His eleven disciples also followed 

out, and abode in the TT . . , , TT , TT . , , 

Mount that is called the Him. And when He was at the place, He said unto 

Sr. 01 01ives ' Lnie thenl ; ^ time °f trial now dose at hand: P ra y tnat y e 

enter not into any temptation which may overcome you. And 
the Lord said unto Peter, — whose infirmity more especially 



" inferior to the Father as touching His manhood, 
but equal to the Father as touching His God- 
head ;" that is, equal as to essence, not of course 
as to Original, for the Father is the fountain of 
the Deity — not God of any other, but of Him- 
self. " In the very name of Father (writes Pear- 
son on the Creed) there is something of eminence 
which is not in that of Son : some kind of priority 
we must ascribe unto Him whom we call the First, 
in respect of Him whom we term the Second 
Person ; and as we cannot but ascribe, so must 
we endeavour to preserve it " (consult 1 Cor. xv. 
27, 28). — The very mention, however, of such a 



comparison by our Lord Himself, shows that He 
was not, as the Socinian contends, simply a man. 

( 15 ) And when they had sung an hymn.] Ac- 
cording to the Original text, the psalm might 
have been either recited or sung : the latter is 
more probable. In order that they might sing 
together, it must have been a hynin well known 
to them, and no doubt was the Hallel, comprising 
the Paschal Psalms, from the 11 3th to the 1 1 8th, 
in which are mentioned the Sorrows of the 
Messiah and the Resurrection from the Dead, 
We find a Christian hymn spoken of (Acts 
iv. 24). 



THE FALLING AWAY OF ALL THE APOSTLES THAT NIGHT IS PREDICTED. 331 

needed caution, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired, 

and hath obtained his desire, to have all of you b in his b And the Lord said 

power, that, like as wheat is shaken in a sieve, c he may Sat he teth^k? % 

sift and distract you by his temptations. But, as thou in P°^? r - /°S L 12 - 

J " x Ihe devil, as a roaring 

particular art over-confident, I have prayed for thee that Hon, waiketh about seek- 
thy faith fail not d utterly; and when thou art converted i"!^ yTs. 6 m&7 eV ° Ur ' 
(recovered from thy fall) and confirmed in thy duty, e Lo. i will sift the 
strengthen thy brethren,^ 1 ) when subjected to the like house of wi among ail 

° J - nations, like as corn as 

temptations, by thy example of eminent faith for the future, sifted in a sieve. Amos 
Then saith Jesus unto them, addressing them collectively, 1X ' 9 * 
All ye shall be offended (shall stumble and fall) because of ^^hlfZn 2ZZ 
what shall happen to Me this night : for it is written, and tnose whom Thou hast 
snail nave an accomplishment m you, " 1 will smite the that Thou shouidest keep 
Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall jotoxSTii, is! Evi1 
be scattered abroad " (see Zech. xiii. 7) • that ivas e Jesua gaith unto 
said at first of an evil shepherd, but it shall be more com- p eter, Feed My sheep. 
pletely verified ivhen the Good and Great Shepherd of all 
the sheep is smitten. Bat you, My followers, shall recover puttetWortiT ht s eP own 
your Guide and Pastor, for, after I am risen again, I will I^J^J 
go before you f into Galilee,? low him. John x. 4. 

And He said unto them, Let your experience of the e He goeth before you 
past strengthen you against the apprehension of future ^sSIa^ atlfelaM 
trials : When I sent you forth to preach the Gospel, unt0 y° u - Mark xv i. 7. 
without purse and scrip and shoes, h lacked ye anything? h The'se twelve Jesus 
And they said, We lacked nothing. Then said He unto vide neither gold nor sil- 
them, But now the times are different: he that hath a * 0 r r ass s ^/°™ 

purse of money, let him take it with him, and likewise his 7 0Ur journey, neither 

n . . i,'-,,, ^ , shoes - Matt. x. 5, 10. 

scrip of provisions ; and he that hath no sword, let him 

sell his garment and buy one, for so perilous will the time 

be, that, according to human calculation, it would appear 

the more needful of the two. For I say unto you, That this, 

that is so expressly written of the Messiah, must yet be 

accomplished in Me: 1 — "And He was reckoned among 1 And with Him thev 

the transgressors- (Isa. liii. 12). For all the things Z'l ni 

written concerning Me are to have an end (an accomplish- and the other on His left : 

. ~ \ jt anc } the Scripture was 

ment), and that of an ignominious death yet remains unful- fulfilled which saith, And 
filled. — And they, supposing Him to have spoken literally of the transferors? Mark 
arming themselves, said, Lord, behold, here are, in any event, sv 27 > 28 ' 
two swords for our protection. Bui He had only in- 
tended to impress on them the magnitude of the trials which 
were approaching, ivith the consequent necessity of faith 
and patience : and as they misconceived His object, and the 



(*) When, thou art converted, strengthen thy 
brethren.'] Peter was again enjoined, when 
receiving forgiveness after his fall, to prove his 
love and sincerity by a regard for the spiritual 
welfare of others. The same important lesson is 
taught to all Christians. Those who, to their 
own cost, have known the snares and stumbling 
blocks of sin, are the best able to point out to 



others any coming danger and the evil conse- 
quence of a fall. In grateful thankfulness to 
Him who has raised them up, they are called 
upon to assist their brethren ; and so, in some 
small measure, they may bear a part in the 
work so affectionately committed to the restored 
Apostle. 



332 FRUITFULNESS, THE PROOF OF CHRISTIAN VITALITY, 

event ivould so soon correct the inference they had drawn, 
He dismissed the subject and said unto them, It is 
enough/ 2 ) 

After this the Lord continued His final instructions to 
His disciples : — I am the true Vine,— henceforth the source 
of all Spiritual nourishment to believers ; and My Father 
Thou hast brought a is the Husbandman k who owns and tends this vineyard of 
hast °cast f out the^ea- the Christian Church. Every branch in Me that beareth 

then and planted it Ps. ^ f ru ^ Hg taketh away 1 mt i re ly f rom the Stem: like to 

j T ^ e vineyard of the such branches are all mere professors or useless members of 
house of Israel. Isa. v. 7. the Church, whom, in His righteous judgments , God will remove 
1 if it bear fruit, well : from their place. And, on the other hand, every branch 
^aifc^u down at ' Luke tnat b earetn fruit or promiseth well, He purgeth [clears by 
x'ni. 9. pruning) it from those superfluous suckers that impair its 

Faith without works is , 1 • r j j ±i r 

dead. Jas. ii. 26. growth, that so it may bring forth more and better truit ; 

for even the fruitful branch will sometimes need pruning, 
and, by fatherly chastisements, God corrects His faithful 

M Ye are clean, but people, that they may become more and more holy. Thus is 
Z,idte.rayHM W Joto « with V™; M «™ that Judas is gone, ye are all in a 
xiii - 10,11. measure clean m (purified) through the sanctifying influence 

n Sanctify them through of the Word which I have spoken unto you, 11 and fitted, 
SutihT^drnxvuTi^ 1S tike the pruned branches of a vine, to bring forth fruit. — 
Church* that Height ^> ^ y° ur 9 row ^ ™ grace should decay, be careful to pre- 
sanctify and cleanse it serve this spiritual union unbroken. Abide then, by a prac- 

with the washing of wa- .. , n .„ ix -77 i • i • n *i 

ter by the Word. Eph. tical raith, in Me,° and 1 will abide m you : for, as the 
v< 20, 26, branch cannot bear fruit of itself, or have any vitality, except 

0 Continue in the faith ft abide in its parent stock, the vine, no more (so neither, 

grounded and settled, and f 

be not moved away from Gr.) can ye bring forth the fruit of good works, or have any 
whic!r P ye° f have heard! spiritual life, except ye abide in the true faith of Me, and 
Co1 - 23 - in the practice of My religion. I am the Vine ; ye are the 

p From Me is thy fruit branches grafted in, and receiving nourishment : he that 

found. Hos. xiv. 8. . . * / \ _ ' % * m _ _ - . . . 

— filled with the fruits abideth in Me by faith, and 1 m him by the Spirit, the 
£ebyj£rchri S t W phiL same alone bringeth forth much fruit,P which is ever the 
i n - surest evidence of vitality ; for, without Me, ye, being cut 

1 There is none other offfrom the source of your spiritual life, can of yourselves do 

am™ng U men, whereby ^we nothing 9 effectual for your salvation, and would eventually 

must be saved. Acts iv. y a n awa y % You see, then, that your fruitfulness depends 

Our sufficiency is of altogether on this adherence and constancy : if a man, pro- 
God. 2 Cor. hi. 5. * . ' ■ 



( 2 ) It is enough.} Some have supposed that 
our Lord meant, " It is enough as to weapons of 
that sort," — that is, as a sign of defence, though 
not of resistance. But He does not say, " Two 
swords are enough," and clearly they were not suf- 
ficient to arm eleven men, if resistance had been 
intended. The Saviour's pacific admonitions and 
practice on every occasion shew that His language 
cannot be so interpreted. According to the ori- 
ental custom of speaking by symbols, and also in 
agreement with the language of Prophecy, He sig- 
nified how perilous the times would be, by repre- 
senting what men commonly do to guard against 
danger. As the Apostles did not apprehend His 



I meaning, He concludes with a common Hebrew 
, phrase, "It is enough (or, "That will do" — "It 
is very well"), which would be the natural reply 
of a kind master to a well-meaning but dull 
servant, and was used when one wished to stop 
the inopportune remarks of another. The same 
may be met with in classical writers. — It appears 
from the scene which followed in the Garden, 
that one of these swords was Peter's (for tra- 
vellers from Galilee and Persea carried them as 
a protection against the robbers), but he is 
expressly reprehended for using it as he did on 
that occasion (see Matthew xxvi. M, 52). 



JESUS AGAIN ENJOINS HIS EXHORTATION TO MUTUAL LOVE. 333 

fessing to be My disciple, abide not in Me, he is cast 
forth as a sapless branch, and is soon withered ; and as 
men gather dry sticks and cast them into the fire, and 
thev are burned/ the like ivill be the aivful end of all 1 Every tree which 

t s> .i *~n t 71 . ' /. brin geth not forth good 

unfruitful members of the Church. But as for you, My fruit is hewn down and 
chosen followers, if ye abide faithfully in Me, and My »* j* 0 the fire - Matt - 
words abide in you, so that ye observe them in your prac- That wlj5ch heareth 

J ° ii i l l thorns and briers is re- 

tice as well as teach them to other men, ye shall ask what jected; whose end is to 

ye will for the furtherance of your great work, and, if it be bs bumed - Heb - VK 8 - 

asked in My name, it shall be done unto you (for you). 

For herein is My Father glorified, and for this purpose has 

He grafted you in, that in your Apostleship ye may bear 

much fruit : s So, by your resemblance to Me in this respect, 8 Let your light so 

, ,, . T7 . i /r • t • i i- shine before men, that 

shall ye appear unto all to be My genuine disciples ; for they may see your good 
the qualities of the parent stock will be perceived to be the ™j* s ; 
qualities also of the branch, ™n. Matt. v. 16. 

Especially remember what I said to you respecting 
Mutual Love. I have set before you My own example of 
this distinguishing Christian virtue ; for even as the Father 
hath loved Me, so affectionately and constantly have I loved 
you : continue ye in My love (still keep for yourselves this t He that keepeth His 
place in My affections) . And reflect^ that love is a principle iTZ^nTriettk 
of action: if ye keep My commandments, ye shall assuredly 1 John lil 24 - 
abide in My love ; * even as I, according to the declaration u 1 raise them up 
of Moses, have kept all My Father's commandments, u and and wfflput MywordsS 
abide in His love. These things have I again spoken unto ""t t^nt" 
you, that My joy in you, on account of your fidelity, might J^aii . c ? m ™ and Him - 
remain undiminished, and that your joy in Me, on the assu- 
rance of retaining your place in My affections, might be full v Scarcely for a righ- 
and complete. — This, then, is in a peculiar manner My com- b™GoTcomi 
mandment, which I solemnly enjoin on all Christians- That lo y e , toward us > in ^ 

' . . while we were yet sin- 

ye love one another in the same degree, if possible, as I ners, Christ died for us. 
have loved you. Mark well the measure of that love : My walk in love, as Christ 
affection is manifested even unto the end ; for greater love jjjg, ^ n Himself for^s 
hath no man, nor can he give more decisive evidence of it, an offering and a sacrifice 
than this,— that a man lay down his life for the welfare t0 Hereby perceive the 
of his friends : v this you must learn to imitate, for your iS^HtaKfeteS 
lives will be endangered in promoting the Salvation of and we ought to lay down 

" . our lives for the brethren. 

Others. 1 John iii. 16. 

Again: so ardently have I loved you, that, notwithstand- 
ing the immeasurable difference between us, I have taken 
you into a covenant of friendship ivith Me: for indeed ye 
are My friends, w and ye shall be esteemed and rewarded as w Abraham believed 
such, if ye do whatsoever I command vou : henceforth I God ' ai ? d ifc „ was ^P" 1 ^ 

T1 J unto him lor righteous- 

Call you not servants, nor treat you any longer with reserve, ness, and he was called 

—for the servant commonly knoweth not the reason of what L\23* iend ° f G ° d * Jas ' 

his lord doeth, — but I have now called you friends ; for all 

things that I have heard and received in charge of My 

Father, such as are at present fit for you to know, I have 



334 CHRIST'S MINISTERS ARE TO EXPECT THE HATRED OF THE WORLDLY. 

freely made known unto you. — And this is another proof 
of the confidence which I have reposed in you : I have made 
you the instruments of My glory and honour in the world : 
ye have not first chosen Me, as disciples ordinarily choose 
* Have not I chosen a master, but I have chosen you x ^ and ordained [ap- 
you twelve? John vi. 70. pointed) you as My Apostles ; that ye should go forth into 
y Go ye, therefore, and the world, and bring forth fruit y by converting many to the 
teach all nations. Matt, jfafti an d that your fruit should remain in a succession cf 

xxvm. 19. 

— which Gospel is Christians to the ivorld's end. And thus it shall come to 
aiTthe" world," anVbrh/g- pass, that whatever ye shall ask the Father in My name^ 
eth forth fruit. Col. i. 6 jj e ma y ^ ye ^ y 0IU — Such has been the measure of My 

love towards you : and now these things I expressly com- 
mand you, That ye love one another : indeed, mutual con- 
cord and goodwill are qualities absolutely essential to the 
success of your cause. 

In the world you must expect to meet with opposition 
and persecution ; but let not this deter you from the path of 
z Marvel not, my bre- duty : if the world hate you, 2 ye know that it has hated 
y^ en ' i f johniii° r i3 hate w ^ en pursuing the same benevolent work, before it 
hated you : if My blameless life could not shield Me from 
persecution, neither can you expect to escape. If ye were 
followers of the world, and lived as the worldly do, the 
a They are of the world would love his own : a but because ye are not of the 
world; therefore speak wor ]ci b u t I have set ii ou apart to lead a new life, and have 

they of the world, and 7 o sr «/ 3 

the world heareth them, chosen you out of the world to reprove its vices by your 
teaching and your practice, therefore the world hateth you. b 
ed^hemt because thevare Remember the word that I said unto you ivhen I first sent 
not of the world, even as x , ou forth, The servant is not greater, and he cannot expect 

I am not of the world. J J 3 b 5 r 

John xvh. 14. better treatment, than his Lord. 0 If they have persecuted 

c The disciple is not Me, they will also persecute you : if they have kept Mv 

tStSTC™. ™ym g -though upon that supposition alone-thej will 

Matt. x. 24. keep your's also d when you declare to them the same thing : 

d But the house of judge by the reception that My doctrine has met with, vjhe- 

unto thee, for they will ther your's is at all likely to be better received. But all 

Ezek^ilfT 1 Unt ° Me ' tnese things will they do unto you, not from any fault of 

„ , , ■ , yours, but for My name's sake e and on account of your 

e Ye shall be hated of J 3 J . .. 

all nations for My name's attachment to Me ; because they know not [are ivil- 
sake. Matt. xxiv. 9. fully ignorant of) Him that sent Me. Their perverseness 
is inexcusable, for ample means have been vouchsafed that 
they might learn the truth : if indeed I had not come^ and 
f if ye were blind, ye spoken unto them the will of My Father, they had not had 

should have no sin. John ,7 ' f n • n i t± i ,i 7 7 j • 

ix. 41. the sin 1 of infidelity ; but now they have heard in vain, 

t Tohimthatknoweth an ^ nave no cloak (no excuse, Marg.) for their sin.s 
to do good, and doeth it He that hateth Me, rebelleth aqainst God, and, in efect, 

not, to him it is sin. Jas. , y * 1 , 

iv. 17. hateth My father also, whose commission i bear. Again, 



( 3 ) Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen 
you.] Although literal, the translation of these 
words has not the full force of the Original. The 
pronouns there are designedly contrasted, and the 



phrase might be more pointedly rendered as 
follows : — " It was not you who chose Me, but it 
was / who chose you." 



THE LASTING BENEFIT OF OUR LORD S DEPARTURE FROM THE WORLD. 335 

if I had not done among them the works which none other 
man, and such as no prophet before Me, ever did, they 
had not had this sin of wilful infidelity; but now have 
they both seen them, and hated both Me and My Father, h Ye shall receive 

, 77. 7 /» s\ • . .7 7-77 power after that the 

whose works, being works of Omnipotence, they undeniably Holy Ghost is come upon 
were. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be S^^Me^both In 
fulfilled (by this being permitted is the word made good) Jerusalem, and in ail Ju- 

, . . _ . _ _. _ , dea, and in Samaria, and 

that is written m their Law, " Ihey hated Me with- unto the uttermost part 
out a cause" {see Ps. xxxv. 19). But, although I am oftheearth - Actsi - 8 - 
rejected by wicked men, when the Comforter is come, whom * ^ e cann <>t hut speak 

J t 9 7 7 # # the things which we have 

I will send unto you from the Father, — even the Spirit of seen and heard. Acts k. 
Truth which proceedeth from the Father, — He shall testify That which was from 
of Me by those miraculous gifts which He shall bestow. And ^Te^'whkh we 
ye also shall successfully bear witness 11 of Me by your preach- have seen with our eyes, 

, , . . , n '±t n 1 • which we have looked 

mg ana by your writings, because, as faithful companions, ye upon, and our hands have 
have been with Me from the beginning 1 of My ministry : so ^^f^wLI 
at last, instead of contempt and hatred, you will experience, seen and heard > declare 

7 J * , 7 % _ _ r 5 we unto you. 1 John i. 

even among men, a grateful recompense of your labours. 1, 3. 

These things have I spoken unto you concerning the 
world's opposition, that when the time comes, ye should not 
be offended and deterred from your duty. They shall ex- 
communicate and put you out of the synagogues : yea, to 
far greater lengths will their enmity be carried, for the 
time cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he 
doeth God as acceptable a service k as sacrifice. And these k Certain of the Jews 
things will they do unto you because they have chosen to Sunf theSes' unS 
continue in their wilful ignorance, and have not known the a s reat curse that the ? 

" ~ would neither eat nor 

rather nor Me. But these things I have told you before- diink until they had killed 
hand, that when the time of such trials shall come, ye may Pau1, Acts xxm " 12 ' 
remember that I told you of them, and so be consoled under 
them, and be confirmed the more in your faith, when you see 
My complete foreknowledge of all that is to come. And 
these things I said not unto you at the beginning of My 
ministry, because I was still with you to protect and com- 
fort you ; but now it is fit you should know them, for My 
ministry draws to its conclusion, and I go My way to Him 
that sent Me. And none of you now asketh Me, Whither 
goest Thou? but because I have said these things unto 
you, a natural though an ill-timed sorrow hath filled your 
heart and engrossed your thoughts. Nevertheless, though 
you have not asked Me, I tell you what should be the wel- 
come truth, It is expedient for you (// is better, and requisite 
on your own account) that I go away : for if I go not away 
first to take possession of My kingdom, the Comforter, whom 
I promised, will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will th l ^hfh^dt^GZ 
send Him unto you : 1 He will supply My place here, while exalted, and having re- 
you will have in Me a Great High-Priest and another promise of 6 the ei Hoiy 
Advocate in heaven. And when He is come, He will effec- He 1 h , ath sbe * d 

3 dJ^^ iortli this, which ye now 

tually reprove (convince, Marg.) the whole world, — and see and hear. Acts ii. 33. 



336 THE ENDS FOR WHICH THE HOLY SPIRIT WOULD BE SENT. 

more especially the obstinate Jews, — of their sin, and of My 
m Now when they righteousness, and of the Divine judgment : of their sin, m 
priSked^in' the?/ heart, because they believe not on Me; but they will perceive their 
to tiirrit^fthriposSes 9 r ^ ev0us error, when, in accordance xuith My promise, that 
Men and brethren, what Spirit returns among them after an absence of four centu- 

shallwedo? Acts ii. 37. f „ . TT . . , • />, .7 77 

ries, conferring His miraculous gifts on those who have 
believed: He will convince them of My righteousness, 
because then it will be also evident, from His testimony of 
Me, that I go, as I said, to My Father, and ye see Me no 
u This Jesus hath God more n on earth in the form of a servant ; and thither I 

raised up, whereof we all 1J , 1 • j? t jz, j - 7 -.7 

are witnesses There- could not ascend ij 1 were, as they affirmed,. m league with 

fore let ail the house Satan : He will convince them, moreover, of judgment (of 

of Israel know assuredly ' 3 J 0 v ^ 

that God hath made that My power to judge My enemies), because then Satan, the 
ha™e crudfied, hot^L^d prince of this world, is to be judged, and cast out of his king- 
and Chnst. Acts n. 32, . 0 an ^ frfampfo will be manifested in the conversion 
— declared to be the 0 f ma ny of his subjects from idolatry to the true religion. 

Son of God with power, _. _ J J v if 

by the Resurrection from 1 have yet many more things to say unto you than 
the dead. Rom. 1. 4. f nose 0 f which I have spoken, but ye cannot bear them 
them A i d beheid Satan^as now 1 y° ur disaffection towards the Gentiles is at present 
lightning^iaii firam hea- too deeply-rooted ; your prejudices remain too strong in 

Now is the judgment favour of your own nation ; and you confide too much in the 
t:%Zfoi^:^ sufficiency of your Law, for which another mode of Justifi- 
be cast out. John xii. cation is henceforth to be substituted. Howbeit when He, 

Having spoiled princi- who is the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into 
ma^a^LrTihS all the Truth ; for He shall not, like the heathen oracles, 
them 17 ' S?]? ° Ver s P ea k deceitfully, and merely of Himself^" but whatsoever 
He, who (i searcheth and knoweth the deep things of God" 
(1 Cor. 11. 10, 11), shall hear and receive in charge, that 
shall He speak. And He will not only unfold to you the 
whole truth of things past, but He will shew you those 

p The Holy Ghost wit- things as yet to come,P ths knowledge of which may be 
^ILTCS^IS- requisite to qualify you for your work.— You will then per- 
tions abide me. Acts xx. ce i vey that, in all which the Holy Spirit shall reveal and 

Now the Spirit speak- teach, He shall glorify Me ; for His revelations will be 
Suer^tmaes 7 ' some '"shall exactly conformable to the doctrine I have taught, and thus He 
depart from the faith, giv- s h a n receive of Mine, and in My name shall shew it unto 

mg heed to seducing spi- > y 0 

rits and doctrines of devils, you. Indeed all things without exception that the Father 
hath, are also Mine ; ^ (4) and My cause is the cause of the 
ver^^n^MeTf My EternalJehovah : in that sense, therefore, I said, That He 
Father. Matt. xi. 27. sna ll take of Mine, and shall shew it unto you. Let all this 
sink into your hearts ; for, a little while longer, and ye shall 
not see Me ; and yet again, a little while after that, and ye 
shall see Me ; because I go hence to the Father, and My 
removal is not to be regarded in the light of a separation. 



( 4 ) All things that the Father hath are Mine, 
<§fe. ] The whole context of this passage establishes 
the great leading truth of the Gospel, a Trinity in 
Unity. The Three Persons are expressly dis- 
tinguished from each other, and yet among them 
the closest connexion, the most perfect commu- 



nity of council, will, energy, and operation, is 
shewn to subsist. The glory ascribed to each is 
also equal ; yet this by no means precludes the 
supposition that the Son is the Heir of the 
Father, and the Holy Spirit the Legate of both. 



THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST ARE TO ASK THROUGH HIM AS INTERCESSOR. 337 



Then said some of His disciples among themselves, — 
for, notwithstanding all He had said, they were in doubt as 
to His meaning, — What is this that He saith unto us ? A 
little while, and ye shall not see Me, and again, a little 
while, and ye shall see Me; and why does He add, Be- 
cause I go to the Father ? They said therefore thus one to 
another, What is this that He saith, A little while ? we 
cannot tell the meaning o/"what He saith. Now Jesus well 
knew that, although afraid, they were desirous to ask 
Him, and said therefore unto them, Do ye enquire among 
yourselves the meaning of that which I said, A little while, 
and ye shall not see Me, and again, a little while, and ye 
shall see Me ? The events of ivhich I speak must surely 
come to pass, and I will tell you of signs that will accom- 
pany them : Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall 
weep and lament when I go hence, but the world shall for 
a time triumph and rejoice : and when ye no longer see Me, 
ye for a little ivhile shall be sorrowful r , but your sorrow r And He said unto 
shall soon after be turned into joy s by My presence. Thus ^ommn^l^T^xh^e 
a woman, when she is in travail (in labour) hath sorrow, Jat ye have one to ano- 

J v ' 7 ther, as ye -walk, and are 

because her hour of delivery is come; 1 but as soon as she sad? Lukexxiv. 17. 
is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the » And they worshipped 

anguish which she endured, for joy that a man (a human Srasaiem^iS^atjoy! 

being) is born into the world : and so ye now therefore Luke xxiv. 52. 

u ' y - And they, continuing 

have sorrow at the near approach of My departure and of daily with one accord in 
your own trials ; but as I said I will see you soon again, Sead^mh^ufe toh!S 
and remain with you ever after by My Spirit; and then ^ eat their meat with 

0 * . gladness and singleness 

your heart shall rejoice, u and your joy, — unlike every of heart. Acts u. 46. 
earthly joy, — shall be uninterrupted, and such as no man t Like as a woman 
tnlcpth frnm vnn v child ' ^ 

taKetn irom you. near the ^ of her deli _ 

And in that day, when the Comforter is come, ye shall very, is in pain, and crieth 

• i -kit i • /. ,,. n out in her pangs, so have 

have occasion to ask Me nothing of this sori for the reso- we been in Thy sight, o 
lution of your doubts: the Divine Illumination shall then Lo — 'thean^S'asof her 
be fully imparted to you. Ye shall ask also without fear. ? at k™ 1 ^ fortl1 , her 

A z. 77 z. j TT -i IT ^t child. Jer.iv.31. 

and your prayers shall be answered: Verily, verily, 1 say 

unto you again, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in c ipies gLwLn 6 they 

My name and as My ministers, He will give it you* Jo* ^ L ° rd " John XX ' 

Hitherto ye have asked nothing in My name, as the . 

■ , 0 J 7 v — in whom, tho gh 

Mediator behveen God and man ; for ye have not fully now ye see Him not, yet 
understood the. nature of that high office, but have j^yun^ea^ 
made known your wants directly to Myself: ask in future of s loi 7- i peti -8. 
by appealing to Me as your Intercessor, and then ye shall 
be sure to receive, that your joy may be full. These myste- 
rious things have I frequently spoken unto you as it were 
in proverbs (in parables, Marg.) ; for such a mode of 
teaching can be opened and expanded hereafter, and it is fit 
that My exalted nature and the mysteries of My kingdom 
should be unfolded by degrees : but the time cometh, when 
I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but in person, 

Z 



338 THE PREDICTION OF THE FALLING AWAY OF THE APOSTLES IS REPEATED. 

or by the illumination of My Spirit, I shall shew you plainly 
w _ i,pi n g S een of all the counsels of the Father, w whether referring to the 
lp^kin? rt of ?h<T'things establishment of the Church or the Salvation of the Gentiles, 
pertaining^to the kingdom ^ t h at <j a y ye shall ask in My name ; and I say not unto 
Fori have not shunned you, that I will pray [intercede with) the Father for you: 

to declare unto you all 7 7 _p n/r j j - j 7 t j 

the counsel of God. Acts you need no such assurance of My regard ; and indeed 1 need 

xx - 21 • not promise to plead your cause, for the Father Himself, 

whose mercy is over all His works, more especially loveth you, 
because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came 
th* 1 ti have 8 ci Ven h°h 0U ^ ^ rom G°cL x The perception of that great truth ought 
Thou gavest Me; and at once to have guided you to the meaning of what I said, 
Sd have toown^teTy' That for a while ye shall not see Me : I came indeed forth 
that i came out from Thee, f rom the Father, and am come as a Saviour into the world; 

and they have believed . 7 • /> 7 /»77 7 t 

that Thou didst send Me. again, now that My task is fulfilled, I am about to leave 

John xvii. 8. wQrl ^ gQ tQ Father# 

His disciples, on receiving this reply, which so exactly 
corresponded with the question they had wished to propose, 
7 Thou, even Thou proving that He knew what was passing in their minds, 

only, knowest the hearts . , T . i . i • i 

of all the children of men. said unto Him, Lo, now Ihou speakest plainly enough, 
1 mS Lord! search the an d speakest no proverb : now we are quite sure that Thou 
heart, jer. xvii. io. knowest all thingsJ even the very secrets of the heart, and 

And Peter said unto i i T i mi 

Him, Lord, Thou knowest needest not that any man should ask Thee with the mouth 

all things; Thou knowest 7 * i 7 • ± i i^i* x j' j? j? 

that i love Thee. John what he desires to know : by this extraordinary prooj oj 

xxi - 11 - Thy Omniscience we firmly believe that Thou earnest forth 
* And they all forsook from God : and it is impossible we can ever aqain doubt 

Him and fled. Mark xiv. . . r * 

50. Thy Divine mission. 

a He that sent Me is To check this excessive confidence, and to inculcate more 

hath n^t e ieft th Me F aione r diffidence in their own strength, Jesus answered them, Do 

John viu. 29. ye indeed now believe, and esteem yourselves to be hence- 

*> — the Prince of forth My confirmed disciples ? Your faith is not so firm as 

Pe B?i'ng justified by faith, V ou imagine; and when the hour of trial comes, you will 

we have peace with God fa i 0 t n f 0 su ff er { n confirmation of the truth which you now 

through our Lord Jesus u u 

Christ. Rom. v. i. profess. Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that, 
ii. ll 18 ° ur PeaCe Eph ' I have already told you this night, ye shall be scattered 
c ah that will live god- every man to his own home, — each regarding only his own 
iy in Christ Jesus shall safety, — and shall leave Me deserted <m<#alone: z and vet 

suffer persecution. 2 Tim. 7T i . . , t 

in. 12. even then i am not alone, because the Father is with Me a 



d Thanks be to God COM 

tory Ch thro V u g h "oufiTrd These things,— the last instructions which I shall be 

Jesus Christ. i Cor. xv. ao le to give, — I have thus freely spoken unto you, that in 

Ye are of God, little Me ye might in the end have true and never-ending peace. b 

com? 6 Aem; h Tec°au e s r e 1 ha ^ e not withheld from you the fact, that in the world ye 

greater is He that is in sna n nave tribulation; 0 but be of good cheer (take courage): 

you, than he that is in . . ' & . v ~ 

the world. i John iv. 4. the Christian s victory is sure : I, the Captain of your Salva- 

comltb the worid^buThe tion, have already overcome the world, and ye too, in the 

k&e b sin ofGod? l jXn ^ °f ^ our 9 reatest affliction, shall be " more than con- 

v. 5. querors" d (Rom. viii. 37). 



339 



SECTION CXX. 

The prayer of Jesus for His cause., for His Apostles, and for 

all Christians. 

John xvii. 1 — 26. 



THESE words spake Jesus as His last instructions to a Now when the cen- 

His Apostles before He suffered; and then lifted up w^h^^t^ching^elus 6 

His eyes to heaven, and said/ 1 ') Father, the hour of com- ZJ^X'^L 

pleting My work is come : glorify thy Son in His death don . e > & e y feared greatly, 

and the wonders that shall accompany it, a that Thy Son Se^o'n 'of* God^Matt! 

also may glorify Thee — turning many to righteousness, and 5 ~ a]l ^ houge of 

teaching them, by the knowledge and practice of true reli- ^ Tae l know assuredly 

? 77 / 7 4. rrZ • • z, mi that God hath made that 

gion, eternally to celebrate lay praise: inasmuch as Inou same Jesus, whom ye 
hast given Him complete power over all flesh b {the whole ^ic^t^l^tt 
human race), in order that, as He has purchased for them b AndJesuscame ^ 
Salvation, so He should also give Eternal Life c to as many spake sa y in g> 
as Thou hast given Him. And this is the way to Life Me ^^eave^Tnd^in 
Eternal: that they {the Gentiles), putting aside their false earth - Matt - xx ™. la 
deities, might know {fully acknowledge) Thee to be the Only et^Jfi^S,^ 
True God ; d (2) and that the Jews, together with them, might Hia Son - i ^ohn v. 

d The Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. Deut. xxxii. 12.— Put away the 
strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve Him only. 1 Sam. 
rii. 3. — We preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the Living God. Acts xiv. 15. — We 
know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God hut one. 1 Cor. viii. 4. — how ye 
turned from idols to God, to serve the Living and True God. 1 Thess. i. 9. 



( J ) Lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and said, £c. ] 
Had we no other knowledge of the Saviour than 
what is furnished in this Prayer, it would *be 
sufficient to shew us the supreme dignity of His 
Person, His ardent love to man, and the mo- 
mentous consequences of the work He was effect- 
ing. — As a composition, it has its difficulties to 
the ordinary reader ; for though our Lord so fre- 
quently delivers Himself in the course of it with 
Majesty and Divine authority, He sometimes sup- 
plicates as man, and again, in other parts, speaks 
as Mediator of His people. The address at the 
commencement, " Glorify Thy Son, that Thy 
Son also may glorify Thee," is evidently not the 
language of a creature to his Creator, for the effect 
prayed for was to be reciprocal. The magna- 
nimity of the sentiment throughout the Prayer is 
conspicuous : there is not a thought bestowed 
on the cruel and ignominious death He was on 
the point of suffering, but His whole soul seems 
intent on His great work, the Salvation of men. 
—Many pass over this Prayer with cold indif- 
ference, but a more sublime composition cannot 
be found, and no one will ever adequately value 
it on this side the grave. — Some Commentators 
have thought that the Prayer (together with the 
Discourse which precedes it, in the last Section) 
was spoken before quitting the guest-chamber. 
While there, after instituting the Holy Supper, 
and giving the promise of the Comforter, our 
Lord distinctly said, " Arise, let us go hence ;" 
which it is attempted to explain by supposing He 
might have risen from table, and returned to add 
His last discourse together with this prayer. But 
it seems unlikely He would so soon refresh their 



memories on several topics already spoken of; 
and the circumstance of His here "lifting up 
His eyes to heaven " in some measure corrobo- 
rates the idea of His being in the open air. 

( 2 ) Thee, the only true God.] The Father is 
not here styled "the only true God" in exclusion 
of the Son, but in opposition to a plurality of gods 
which had no real entity; for this was the dispute 
which prevailed between the Pagans and the 
Jews, and not at all as to the nature and essence 
of the One True God. The word "only" is 
frequently used in this sense in the Old Testa- 
ment, and the epithet " true" has no force at all, 
as a mark of contradistinction, except as opposed 
to " false " (see the Marginal citations above). 

Trinitarians hold, in accordance with this 
text, that " the Father is the only true God ;" 
but it is not said that " the Father alone is the 
true God;" which would have excluded the 
divinity of the Son : there is a wide difference 
between the two expressions. That Jesus Him- 
self does not here disclaim Divinity is evident, for 
in the same sentence He declares, that, to obtain 
eternal life, He too must be really and practically 
known (that is, obeyed and worshipped, for to 
this extent the Greek expression goes), as well 
as the Father. He also proceeds to describe 
Himself as sharing the original glory of the 
Father. — St. John who records this Prayer, 
commences his Gospel with the most solemn 
declaration of the Deity of Christ, and he ex- 
pressly says in his first Epistle, " We are in Him 
that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ : this 
is the true God, and Eternal Life" (1 John 
v. 20). 

Z 2 



340 THE PRAYER OF CHRIST FOR HIS APOSTLES. 



e All men should ho- 
nour the Son even as they 
honour the Father. He 
that honoureth not the 
Son honoureth not the 
Father which hath sent 
Him. John v. 23. 

* He said, It is finished, 
and He bowed His htad, 
and gave up the ghost. 
John xix. 30. 

g In the beginning was 
the Word, and the Word 
was with God, and the 
Word was God. John i. 1. 

Unto the Son God 
saith, — Thou, Lord, in the 
beginning, hast laid the 
foundation of the earth, 
and the heavens are the 
works of Thine hands. 
Heb. i. 8, 10. 

h He continued all 
night in prayer to God: 
and when it was day, He 
called unto Him His dis- 
ciples, and of them He 
chose twelve. Luke vi. 
12, 13. 

» As My Father hath 
taught Me, I speak these 
things. John viii. 28. 

The words that I speak 
unto you, I speak not of 
Myself. John xiv. 10. 

k His disciples said un- 
to Him, Lo, now speakest 
Thou plainly : by this we 
believe that Thou earnest 
forth from God. John 
xvi. 29, 30. 

1 All things that the 
Father hath are Mine. 
John xvi. 15. 

m And thev glorified 
God in me. Gal. i. 24. 



n — kept by the power 
of God through faith unto 
salvation. 1 Pet. i. o. 

— sanctified by God 
the Father, and preserved 
in Jesus Christ. Jude 1. 



know and believe in Jesus the Christ, whom Thou hast 
sent e to declare Thy will unto man. I have glorified Thee 
by My ministry on the earth : I have already as it were 
finished the work f of Atonement which Thou gavest Me to 
do. And now, O Father, make Me perfect through suffer- 
ings, and glorify Thou Me with Thine own self, — with the 
original glory which I had with Thee before the world 
was made 3 

By My doctrine and My works I have clearly manifested 
Thy name [the knoivledge of Thy will and perfections) unto 
the men which Thou gavest Me h out of the evil world as 
My Apostles ; Thine they already were by creation, and by 
adoption as Israelites, and Thou gavest them to Me as the 
Messiah and King ; and they have valued and faithfully 
kept Thy Word, which I have taught them. Now they 
have, at length, known assuredly that all things, whatsoever 
Thou hast given Me in commission to teach, are of, and 
from Thee : 1 for I have in like manner given unto them 
the words and truths which Thou gavest Me ; and they 
have in faith received them as Thine, and have known 
surely that I came out [came forth) from Thee, and they 
have believed that Thou didst send Me. k I pray, there- 
fore, O Father, especially for them : I pray not now for the 
unbelieving world, (3) but for them which Thou hast so gra- 
ciously given Me out of it, for they are not only Mine as 
subjects of My mediatorial kingdom, but Thine : and, in- 
deed, all those instruments which I speak of as Mine, are 
equally Thine, serving Our united purpose of love and 
mercy to man : and so Thine are Mine, 1 and I am glorified 
in them m and their labours. And now I am to continue 
no more in the world : but these, My faithful servants, 
are to remain, unsupported by My visible presence, in the 
world, encompassed with all its difficulties and dangers ; and 
I come to Thee in Heaven, leaving them to fulfil their 
perilous task. Holy Father, keep n through Thine own 
name (preserve in their more perfect knowledge of TJiee) 
those whom Thou hast given Me, that they, confiding in 
one another, may be one in counsel and action, even as We 
are One. While I was with them in the world, I kept them, 
by My instruction and example, steadfast in Thy name : 
even those that Thou gavest Me I have kept with anxious 
care, and none (not one) of them is eternally lost but the 



( 3 ) / pray not for the world. ,] Our Lord's 
immediate object at this part of His prayer was 
the welfare of the Apostles, but (as He proceeds 
to say) it was His wish that through them "the 
world might know that the Father had sent 
Him " (see John xvii. 23), and that all might thus 
he in a capacity of being saved. — The Evangelist 
repeatedly declares, in other places, that Jesus 



came to save the whole world (see John iii. 17; 
xii. 47 ; and 1 Ep. ii. 2) : and we know that with 
His last breath He prayed for His bitterest 
adversaries. The nature of the case does not 
here permit Him to pray for the opposers of His 
religion, in the sense that He prays for His dis- 
ciples ; that is, for their mutual" concord and 
perseverance in one cause. 



THE PRAYER OF CHRIST FOR HIS APOSTLES. 



341 



son of perdition °, who has fully merited the dreadful lot 0 Have not I chosen 



that awaits him: his wilful perfidy Thou hast permitted, that 

you is a devil. John vi. 

the Scripture P concerning Me might be fulfilled in all things. 70 - 

And now I am to come to Thee; and these things I » fet his days be few, 

. tit and l et another take his 

speak in their presence while I continue m the world, that office. p s . dx. 8. 

they may hear them, and, deriving holy consolation from ne^haveTe^foifiS! 

them, might have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have thejioiy Ghost, 

given them Thy Word (Thy doctrine) to guide their teach- spake before concerning 

ing and influence their practice; and the world hath hated ^themVat kSTjSus*- 

them, because it has plainly appeared that they are not ^SJSSSX 

followers of the world, even as I, their Master, am not of part of this ministry. Now 

.771 nn ill i tms man purchased a field 

the world. I pray not, indeed, that Inou snouidest take with the reward of ini- 

them out of the world-^ must not desire, as yet, to go ^^tS^^t 

hence, for they have a great and qlorious ivork appointed tne midst > and 311 his 

3 J y J f bowels gushed out. For 

them to do — but that Thou snouidest grant them perseve- it is written in the Book 

ranee, and keep them safe from the evil^ and malice of the f^^^i^J^a^^ 

world. Many severe trials they have to undergo, be- no man dwell therem and 

J v u ' his bishop rick let another 

cause they are not of the world/ even as I am not of the take. Acts i. ie— 18, 20. 

world. Consecrate and sanctify them more and more q Deliver us from evil, 

through Thy Truth s « (for the Ministry of the Truth, M !i^^ i a 3 ; e Himself fOT 

Gr.) : Thy Word is Truth t itself. As Thou hast commis- our sins, that He might 

sioned and sent Me into the world to preach the Gospel sen^eviiworiT GaiX-t 

and make known Thy will, even so (for the same purpose) wh ^ he sn ^n rc ^tabh^h^you 

have I also sent them u into the world. And for their and keep you from evil, 
sakes I sanctify and dedicate Myself as a holy Sacrifice, that 

they also, seeing My doctrine thus confirmed, might be sane- 0 f 'God^and 'the whole 

titled v through the Truth (spiritualized for their ministry jormiethm wickedness. 

Of the Truth). ^Hallow them to m 

Neither pray I for these, My Apostles, alone/ 5 ) but for nister unto Me in the 

them also, My disciples throughout the world, which shall gg*'* office ' Exod ' 

believe on Me through their word (their instruction) : that , . , _ _ ., 

0 v J 1 now, O Lord 
God, Thou art that God, and Thy words be true. 2 Sam. vii. 28. — O Lord, all Thy commandments are 
Truth. Ps. cxix. 151. 

11 As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. John xx. 21. 

v Both He that sanctifieth, and they who are sanctified, are all of One. Heb. ii. 11. — Sanctified through the 
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Heb. x. 10. 



( 4 ) Sanctify them through Thy truth.] The 
original text, strictly rendered,, gives the sense 
as added in the emendation above : but some 
eminent Practical Expositors of this Gospel have 
been contented with the words as they stand in 
the Common Version, and consider the petition 
to be for personal Sanctification of the Apostles 
by means of the doctrine which had been taught 
them, rather than to refer to their teaching. 
That sense is also a good one (see John xv. 3 : 
and Eph. v. 26), and there can be no doubt that 
the Word of God is a leading instrument of 
Sanctification, — the weapon in the hand of the 
Spirit. 

( 5 ) Neither pray I for these alone.] This 
Prayer has been called "the/?? tercessory Prayer," 
a title which may be fitly applied to the greater 
portion of it ; and here, in the gradual develope- 
ment of Christian doctrine, we are brought to 
Christ as our Great High-Priest. The true 
Priest's office consists of two parts, Sacrifice and 



Intercession : Christians are now, happily, nearly 
unanimous in admitting the first (namely the 
necessity and efficacy of Christ's expiatory 
J death) ; but the second is by too many over- 
j looked, and yet it is the most important, as giving 
i efficacy to the former : this St. Paul repeatedly 
impresses upon- us (see Rom. v. 10; and viii. 
34). — It involves, too, the more consolatory truths 
of our religion. As the Aaronitic priest on the 
great day of Atonement sprinkled the mercy-seat 
with the blood of the victim slain in the presence 
of the people (Lev. xvi.), so this High-Priest 
after the order of Melchizedec, whose office as 
Intercessor is perpetual, now appears continually 
in His Father's presence, to plead the merits 
| of His oblation for His brethren. At Rev. i. 13, 
St. John describes the Lord as appearing in the 
sacerdotal garment, in which the priests w r ere en- 
joined to minister, and which Josephus has par- 
ticularly described in his Antiquities, Book hi, 
chap. 7- 



342 JESUS PRAYS FOR UNITY AMONG HIS DISCIPLES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. 



w The multitude of them the Unity of the Faith may be fully preserved, and that they 

w^lna^of^ue 0 soul! all may be one w(6) in affection, and will, and good works ; 

AC Be i perfecdy joined to- €ven as Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they 

gether in the* same mind also, by participation of the Spirit, may be one in Us: that 

and in the same judgment. . . . n . « , , , 7 

i Cor. i. 10. so the world, perceiving this perfect accord and mutual 

7v^7^&Z love > ma y believe that Thou hast sent Me > and that this 

Gospel proceeds from God. 

And the glory {the glorious gifts of miracles and inspi- 
ration) x which Thou gavest Me, and by which My Apostles 
faith, one baptism; one were converted, I have eiven them, that they may be 

God and Father of all. ' & 5 J J 

united in teaching one perfect scheme of religion, and be 
one, even as We are One; I dwelling in them by the 
Spirit, and Thou essentially in Me, that so they also may 
Let us wait by the be made completely perfect in one; and that the world, 

same rule, let us mind the 7 . ,.. _ n , 7 

contemplating a religion so productive of peace ana hap- 
piness, may know that Thou hast sent Me, and that for 
My sake Thou hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me. 
Father, I will (I desire) also, that all they whom Thou 



the unity of the Spirit 
the bond of peace. There 
is one body, and one 
Spirit, even as ye are 
called in one hops of your 
calling: one Lord, one 



God and Father 
Eph. iv. 3, 4. 

Be like-minded, having 
the same love, being of 
one accord, of one mind. 
Phil. ii. 2 



same thing. Phil. hi. 16. 

Finally, he ye all of one 
one mind. 1 Pet. iii. 8. 



x And the Lord said 
unto Moses, Take thee 

Joshua, the son of Nun ; t 

a man in whom is the hast given Me, may, when they have finished their course, 

Spirit and lay thine hand be f l t ^ th M in fhat Blessed Place where I am; that 

upon him, and thou snait 

put some of thine h ° n ° ur they may behold and thus participate in My glory which 

congregation of the chif- Thou hast given Me ; for Thou lovedst Me before the 

Sen, 'Tlri* 6 foundation of the world. 

]8 > 20 - O righteous Father, the world at large hath not known 

This beginning of mira- ° - ^ 

cies did Jesus in Cana Inee; and it continueth still in ignorance of Thy gracious 
counsels for their salvation ; but I have ever known Thee/ 
and these, for whom I ?ww desire this glory, have known 



of Galilee, and manifested 
forth His glorv. John ii. 
11. 

Jesus saith unto her 



Said I not unto thee, that and truly believed that Thou hast sent Me : z and I have 
declared unto them Thy name, — manifesting TJiy glorious 
attributes, Thy will, and Thy love, — and / will declare 

7 He that sent Me is true, whom ye know not, hut I know Him, for I am from Him. John vii. 28.. 29. — As 
the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father. John x. 15. 
2 We believe that Thou earnest forth from God. John xvi. 30. 



if thou wouldest believe, 
thou shouldest see the 
glorv of God ? John xi 
40. 



( 6 ) That they all may be One.] The solemn 
and repeated admonitions respecting Unity among 
Christians can hardly fail to have struck every 
reader of the New Testament. Our Lord had 
already urged this subject upon the Apostles in 
His last discourse, under the expressive image of 
the Vine and its branches ; and now it appears 
to be the subject nearest of all to His heart, as the 
time for His quitting the world drew near. In 
accordance with this, no one subject is more 
strongly and constantly pressed in the Apostolical 
Epistles than the avoidance of divisions (see 
particularly Rom. xvi. 17; 1 Cor. i. 10; xii. 25; 
2 Cor. xiii. 11 ; Jude 19). — It was, no doubt, 
foreseen what a strong tendency there would 
be among men to break this Unity : for the 
spirit of Separation (or Dissent as the modern 
phrase is) is sweet, and acceptable to our fallen 
nature — enlisting on its side the self-will and the 
self-love of man, which may be ranked among 
our strongest and worst passions. — The Prayer 
of the Saviour, which represents in so strong a 
light the guilt of schism, ought to be considered, 
with earnest self-examination and supplication 



for Divine guidance, by all who are living in 
separation from any branch of Christ's Catholic 
and Apostolic Church ; for there is nothing 
which can justify Separation, but the departure 
I of that Church (as in the case of the Roman] 
j from some really essential article of faith. — That 
the foundation of Christian Unity is "the Unity 
of the Faith," is plain from Eph. iv. 5, 13; 1 Cor. 
xii. 13, and other passage's. "In necessariis 
I Unitas" has ever been a principle of the Uni- 
I versa! Church : so that, first of all, we must hold 
the One Faith and the One Baptism, whereby, 
through the power of the One Spirit, we are 
incorporated into the One body of Christ, and 
reconciled by Him to the One God and Father 
of all. These essential truths are faithfully 
embodied in the Creeds of the Church ; and the 
next point, as important to Unity, which seems 
to have obtained the fullest consent among wise 
and good men, is the use of a national Liturgy 
in each particular branch of the Catholic Church, 
— combined with submission to the discipline of 
its lawful governors, where such discipline is not 
plainly repugnant to the Word of God. 



JESUS RETIRES TO THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. 



343 



it yet further by the illumination of the Spirit which 
I will send them; that the love, wherewith from all 
eternity Thou hast loved Me, may be also in them, and 
I in them by the same in-dwelling Spirit, henceforth and 
for ever. 



SECTION CXXI. 
The Saviour's agony in the garden of Gethsemane. 



Matt. xxvi. 36—46. Mark xiv. 32 — 42. Luke xxii. 41 — 46. 
John xviii. 1. 



WHEN Jesus had spoken these words, He came down 
from the Mount of Olives, and went forth with His 
disciples, and cometh with them unto a place, — also situate 
over the brook (or winter-torrent) Cedron, — called Geth- 
semane (or place of oil-presses), where was a garden/ 1 ) into 
the which He and His disciples entered. — Here it was 
the Saviour's purpose to await the son of perdition, and 
to prepare Himself for His approaching sufferings by prayer: 
and when He was at the place, He saith to eight of His 
disciples, Sit ye here at the entrance, and watch who comes, 
while I go and pray yonder. Tliis injunction He gave, a T he sorrows of death 
partly to test their vigilance in His service, and in part that compassed me. Ps. cxvi. 
His sacred privacy might not be disturbed by the presence it pleased the Lord to 

n jn 7 n , ,. bruise Him: He hath put 

of more witnesses than were needful for a testimony. Him to grief, isa. mi. 

And He took with Him Peter, and James and John 



10. 

Behold and see if there 



(the two sons of Zebedee), to witness this remarkable scene be any sorrow lite unto 

/» rT . tj, ,7 t • .7 » 7 nj j.' 7 j> My sorrow wherewith the 

of His life — these being the same three confidential ais- Lord hath afflicted Me in 

the day of His fierce 
anger. Lam. i. 12. 



b And Jehosaphat bow- 



ciples who had beheld His glory when He was Transfigured 
on the Mount. And He began to be sorrowful, sore amazed, 

and, soon after, very heavy (almost overwhelmed with grief), ed his head with his face 

Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, judlh^SXlnhabftan^ 

even almost unto death, a so insupportable do 1 feel it: tarry ° f Jerusalem fell before 

■* x _ ■ the Lord, worshipping the 

ye here, and watch with Me while I pray. And He went Lord. 2Chron. xx. is. 
forward a little space from the three, and was withdrawn jj^ thrVeS^God^ 
from them who had been stationed at the entrance about a ^ j 11 ? e peopl f m " 

swered, Amen, Amen, 

'stone's cast; and kneeled down, and fell on His face on the with Kfthig «p their 

hands ; and they bowed 



wor- 



ground, b adopting the posture of most earnest supplication ; their heads, and 
and prayed that, if it were possible to remit the sin of f^ ce f e t0 £° e r ^ d h 
mankind without so dreadful a penalty, the hour to which Neh. viu. 6. 



(*) Where was a garden.'} No gardens were 
allowed within the sacred precincts of the city, 
on account of the pollution of the weeds and the 
manure necessary for cultivation. — It is remark- 
able that as the sin of the first Adam, which 
brought destruction on his posterity, was com- 
mitted in a garden^ so did the Passion of the 
Second Adam, rescuing us from the conse- 
quences of that sin, commence in a like place. 



Our Lord was also buried in a garden. — The 
Garden of Gethsemane, as it may now be seen, 
measures between forty and fifty paces in length 
and breadth. It contains eight olive trees, the 
knotted trunks of which betoken great antiquity 
(probably at least an age of eight hundred 
years), and which are believed to have sprung 
from the roots of those which existed in our 
Lord's time. 



344 



THE SAVIOUR'S AGONY IN THE GARDEN. 



c Ye have received the 
Spirit of adoption, where- 
by we cry Abba, Father. 
Rom. viii. 15. 

d Thou hast drunk at 
the hand of the Lord the 
cup of His fury, — the 
dregs of the cup of trem- 
bling, and wrung them 
out. Isa. li. 17. 

Thus saith the Lord 
God, Take the wine-cup 
of this fury at My hand. 
Jer. xxv. 15. 

e I came down from 
heaven not to do Mine 
own will, but the will of 
Him that sent Me. John 
vi. 38. 

Now is My soul trou- 
bled, and what shall I 
say? Father, save Me 
from this hour : but for 
this cause came 1 unto 
this hour. John xii. 27. 

Even Christ pleased 
not Himself. Rom. xv. 3. 

Then said I, Lo, I 
come (in the volume of the 
Book it is written of Me) 
to do Thy will, O God. 
Heb. x. 7 

f — praying always with 
all prayer and supplica- 
tion in the Spirit, and 
watching thereunto with 
all perseverance. Eph. 
vi. 18. 

g I know that in me 
(that is, in my flesh) dwel- 
leth no good thing ; for 
to will is present with me, 
but how to perform that 
which is good, I find not. 
Rom. vii. 18. 

The flesh lusteth against 
the Spirit, and the Spirit 
against the flesh : and 
these are contrary the one 
to the other ; so that ye 
cannot do the things that 
ye would. Gal. v. 17. 

h I besought the Lord 
thrice that it might de- 
part from me. 2 Cor. 
xii. 8. 



He had now come might pass from Him. And He said, 
Abba (Father), 0 1 know that all things are possible unto Thee : 

0 My Father, if it be possible, — consistently with Divine 
Justice and with what has been designed for Thy glory and 
the Salvation of man, — take away this bitter cup d (2) of 
sorrow, and let it now pass from Me : nevertheless, not as 

1 will, but as Thou wilt [not what I will, but what Thou 
wilt, Mark]. 6 

And, rising up, He cometh unto the three disciples, 
and findeth them sleeping; and saith unto Peter, who 
awoke first, Sleepest thou, Simon ? couldest thou not, 
after all thy protestations of fidelity, watch with Me 
one hour? Then in like manner He mildly rebuked the 
other two : — What, could ye not watch with Me one hour ? 
Watch ye with constancy, and pray f with perseverance for 
Spiritual aid, lest ye enter irretrievably into Temptation : 
thus only can the infirmity of human nature be safe 
from the manifold dangers that assail it : the spirit truly 
is willing, but the flesh is weak,s and cannot, unaided, per- 
form even its best resolutions. 

And again He went away the second time, and prayed, 
and spake the same words,- saying, O My Father, if this 
cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink of it to 
the dregs. Thy will be done. And when He returned to 
the three disciples, He found them asleep again, for their 
eyes were heavy; neither, when He repeated His admo- 
nition, wist they {knew they) in their confusion what to 
answer Him. 

And He left them, and went away again, and prayed 
the third time, h saying in the same words, (3) Father, if 
Thou be willing (0, that Thou wouldst, Gr.) remove this 
cup from Me ! nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be 
done. And so keen was the spiritual conflict He endured, 
that there appeared this time unto Him an angel from 
heaven, strengthening Him. And being still in an agony, (4 ' 



( 2 ) Take away this cup.} That this cup was 
the mental Agony our Lord was now enduring, 
and not His painful death, appears from what 
St. Paul says, that He was "heard in what He 
feared, when He offered up prayers and suppli- 
cations with strong crying and tears" (Heb. v. 
7): He was not delivered from dying, but He 
was strengthened, so as to meet the approaching 
danger with calmness and self-possession. On 
the expression "Cup," see Section CI,, Note 3. 

( 3 ) Saying the same words.] This circum- 
stance can scarcely have been duly weighed by 
those who object to repetitions (as with respect to 
the Lord's Prayer) in our excellent Liturgy. The 
length of our Morning Service has also been 
objected to; but the Saviour's authority may 
again be cited from this scene in the Garden. 
Allowing for the musical portions of Divine Ser- 
vice and the sermon, the Prayers seldom exceed 



an hour: and it may be replied to objectors, 
"What, can ye not watch and pray one hour?" 

( 4 ) Being in an agony.] The bitterness of 
unmitigated anguish endured by our Lord in this 
awful scene is one of those mysteries which here 
we shall never be able/w% to comprehend; and 
so the Liturgy of the Greek Church, pleading 
with the Saviour His own merits, makes an 
appeal to Him "by His unknown sorrows." — It 
seems clear, with reference to the nature of this 
Agony, — so far as we may venture, with the 
light of God's Word, to meditate upon it, — that 
there was no slavish apprehension of death or 
bodily suffering. To suppose this, when so many 
Christian martyrs, and even heathen heroes, 
have calmly and cheerfully suffered the most 
dreadful torments, would be lowering Him, who 
warns His disciples not to fear them who can 
only kill the body ; and who, on one occasion, 



THE AGONY IX THE GARDEN. 



345 



He prayed more earnestly than before; and, though the night 
"ivas cold" {John xviii. 18), His sweat was as it were great 
drops of blood w falling down to the ground. 

And when He rose up from prayer, and was come to 
His disciples the third time, He found them sleeping for 
sorrow/ 6 ) for the grief caused by witnessing their Master's 
agony had exhausted and stupified them. And He said 
unto them, Why sleep ye at such a time as this ? rise up 
and pray that ye enter not into temptation ; sleep on 
now [sleep hereafter, Gr.) and take your rest : surely it is 
enough which has been already given to repose : behold the 
long-expected hour is come, and the Son of man is betrayed 1 — sinners of the Gen- 
into the hands of sinners : 1 rise up, let us be going [let us Sim ye "have" taken, 
go on) to meet the coming danger: behold he is already £* e ^^f 6 ^^ 3 
at hand that doth betray Me. Acts ii. 23. 

SECTION CXXIL 
The betrayal by Judas, and the flight of the eleven Apostles. 

Matt. xxvi. 47 — 56. Mark xiv. 43 — 52. Luke xxii. 47 — 53. 
John xviii. 2 — 12. 



AND Judas, which betrayed Him, also knew the place 
where they were passing the night; for Jesus oft- 
times resorted thither with His disciples for retirement 



strongly rebuked Peter, in words which implied 
that to offer any suggestion of shrinking from 
death was acting towards Him the part of Satan 
and an enemy. — There is no doubt that "the 
plague of the hearV is greater than any other, for 
" a wounded spirit, that alone knoweth its own bit- 
terness, who can bear ? " (Prov. xiv. 10 ; xviii. 14). 
From the Saviour's mental agony we must ex- 
clude remorse and despair (which to the guilty 
bring the severest paug of all), but there were some 
bitter ingredients mixed in His cup which were not 
in that of other sufferers, as well as some cordial 
infused into theirs which was denied to Him. What 
agonizing thoughts, what overwhelming scenes 
were in the Saviour's contemplation in the 
garden of Gethsemane ! There was the shame 
of every kind which He had to endure ; the 
great scandal of the Cross ; the insults of his 
enemies ; the desertion of all who were near and 
dear to Him, — by one of whom He was on the 
point of being betrayed, and by another of being 
obstinately denied. But all these personal consi- 
derations, overwhelming though they were, were as 
nothing to Him (whose grief was ever for others, 
not for Himself), compared with His reflections 
upon Sin; its weight and awful penalty ; the in- 
numerable transgressions of all mankind ; the 
obstinacy with which many would still reject the 
gracious offers of Salvation, and the consequent 
miseries which those, for whom He desired to 
die, would have to endure. This cup which He 
had to drink was the cup of God's wrath against 
Sin (the " Cup of fury," " the cup of trembling" of 
which the Prophets had spoken) : in the language 



of Job, it was for Him " to drink the wrath of 
the Almighty" — to experience in the hour of 
darkness an utter and total desertion. An early 
writer of the Church says of the Christian 
roartyrs, " God did not indeed deliver them from 
death, but He did not forsake them :" they found 
rest to their souls, and the Peace of God was theirs 
to the last ! But the Saviour's bitter complaint 
was "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken 
Me ?" He was afflicted by the Father Himself 
in the day of His fierce anger ; in whose Holy 
sight His death was "accursed," because He 
was made a curse for us (see Gal. iii. 13). 

( 5 ) His sweat was, as it were, great drops of 
blood.~\ This mag be understood literally, for 
similar facts are recorded both by physicians and 
historians, some of whom were not Christians. 
Aristotle twice speaks of such a fact in the 3rd 
Book of his Hist. Animal. Diodorus Siculus 
(lib. 17) speaks of this effect as resulting from 
the bite of a particular serpent ; and Voltaire 
(Univers. Hist., c. 142) says of Charles IX. of 
France, " He died in his five and twentieth year. 
The malady he died of was very extraordinary : 
the blood gushed out of all his pores : this cir- 
cumstance, of which there are some instances, was 
owing either to excessive fear, to violent passion, 
or to a warm and melancholy constitution." 

( 6 ) Sleeping for sorrow.] Cases of profound 
sleep from the effects of excessive grief are not 
uncommon. Mothers have been known to sleep 
immediately after the death ©f a child, and 
criminals often sleep soundly the night before 
their execution, 



348 



JESUS IS BETRAYED. 



and devotion* And immediately, while He yet spake to 
them of what was about to happen, lo, Judas, — even that 
Judas Iscariot who was one of the Twelve, — having received 
a band of men (a detachment of Roman soldiers) from the 
chief priests and Pharisees, and the Scribes, and the elders 
of the people, cometh thither armed with weapons, and 
bearing lanterns and torches, for though it was full moon, 
the place itself was dark; and with him came a great 
multitude armed with swords and staves (clubs). And as 
the person of Jesus would not be known to the Roman 
guard, he that betrayed Him went on before them, for he 
* — judas, which was had given them a token 3 (a signal), saying, Whomsoever 

guide to them that took T . j f s. • tt i. 

Jesus. Acts i. 16. I shall go up to and kiss, that same is He whom you are 
sent to apprehend : take Him, hold Him fast when He is 
secured, and lead Him away safely. 

And as soon as he was come into the garden, he drew 
near unto the place where Jesus stood to kiss Him, as the 
signal agreed upon with the guard; and goeth up straight- 
way to Him as if rejoiced to see Him again, and saith, 
b The kisses^ of^ an Hail, Master, Master! and kissed h Him. But Jesus 

e^myaxe ec« . rov. ga j,j C ^ M ^ ^ ^ jj^fi} (Co??p[Bwn), whereforeart 
thou come ? — then adding with stern dignity, Judas, betray- 
est thou the Son of man with a kiss ? can such be indeed 
the signal of thy treachery ? 

Therefore (Then, upon this), Jesus, perfectly knowing all 
things that should come upon Him, went forth ^ to meet the 
soldiers who had now assembled in the garden, and said unto 
them, Whom seek ye ? They answered Him, We are in 
search of Jesus of Nazareth. J esus saith unto them, I am 
He. 

And Judas which betrayed Him, — he who used to stand 
e when the wicked, on the side of Christ, — stood also now in the opposite rank, 
even mine enemies and w ft h % fam who contended against Him! 

toes, came upon me, they & 

stumbled and fell. Ps. As soon then as He had said unto them, I am He, they 

XX Le't them be turned went backward, and, being preter naturally struck by an 

Sn an thar u devise My exertion of Divine power, fell to the ground.* Then, when 

hU A d P h XS fii 4 to th WeTe recovere d from the shock, He asked them again, 

earth, and heard a Voice Whom seek ye ? And they said, as before, Jesus of Naza- 

S g X ^s'ecS reth. Jesus answered, I have told you plainly that I 

thou Me? Actsix.4. am He, and I at once surrender Myself : if therefore ye 



(*) Friend.] In the Original this is merely a 
word of ordinary salutation, and not the same 
expression which is employed when our Saviour 
called the other Apostles " His friends." It is 
also applied to the disaffected labourer in the 
vineyard (Matt. xx. 13), and to the guest who 
declined the wedding garment (Matt. xxii. 12). 
— In the sentence which follows, " Betrayest 
thou the Son of man with a kiss?" every word is 
emphatic, and must have gone to the very soul of 
the traitor. 



( 2 ) Knowing all things that should come upon 
Him, went forth."} This seems expressly noted, 
partly to show what a trilling sacrifice our Lord 
w T as : when a multitude would have forced Him to 
a crown, He withdrew Himself ; when they came 
to force Him to a cross, He offered Himself. 
Partly, too, we may be called on to notice how 
complete was our Lord's knowledge of every cir- 
cumstance of horror and ignominy that awaited 
Him. 



THE APPREHENSION OF JESUS. 



347 



seek Me, let these who are with Me go their way. This 
He said, that the saying, which He spake in His prayer to 
the Father, might be fulfilled (made good) to the last, " Of. 
them which Thou gavest Me as Apostles, have I lost none 
but the son 0/ perdition" (John xvii. 12). — Thus, unmindful of 
the trials that awaited Himself, did He love "His own" unto 
the end. d 

Then came they of the guard, and laid their hands on blood, by man shall his 
Jesus, and took Him prisoner. Now when they which £ oodbeslle "- Gen. ix . 
were with Jesus [about Him, Luke! saw what would , Because thou hast shed 

rn ax. ' j a. tt* - t j i_ n ^ .,t the blood of the children 

iollow, they said unto Him, Lord, shall we smite them with of Israel by the force of 
the sword? And behold, before He could reply, one of fc^SfiiSJ! 
them (Simon Peter) ( 3 ) having: a sword, stretched out his \ prepare thee unto 

v ' ° . 7 blood, and blood shall 

hand and drew it ; and, with his accustomed rashness and pursue thee. Ezek. xxxv. 

. 5 6 

zeal attacking them "indiscriminately, struck a servant of ' Avenge not yourselves, 
the High-priest's, and cut off his right ear. The servant's rather gi^e place unto 

° r ° wrath, for it is written, 

name was Malchus. Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up Vengeance is mine, 1 will 

again thy sword into the sheath ; for all they that take Bom^'xii^S. the L ° rd ' 

up the sword unlawfully, shall commonly perish, with the the^wor^m^b^MnS 

sword : d leave such merited retribution to the Jewish the sword. Rev. 
rulers, who now seek by violence to shed innocent blood. I 

do not need the feeble aid of men, and any resistance on the thi night? t£aune\£^i 

part of My followers would imply both a distrust in Divine of tte Lord went out and 

r o o J x J _ smote m the camp oi the 

Providence and an ignorance of the Scriptures: thinkest Assyrians an hundred 
thou that 1 cannot, even now, pray to (call upon) My sa nd. 2 Kings xix. 35. 
Father, and He shall presently give Me (bring to My J^^f;^ 
rescue) more than twelve legions of angels ? e But then, if it t0 keep Thee in ail Thy 
were so, how shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, which declare ways ' s " xa ' 
that thus it must be? f The cup of affliction which My ^^SSlSTmlt 
Father hath given Me, shall I not obediently and willinqly h ™s}* ™ a iamb to the 

f 7 V if iJ slaughter. He was taken 

drink Of it ? W from prison and from 

Then the band of soldiers and the captain, and the SfS^SthetaJTcl the 
officers of the Jews, took Jesus, and bound Him. And liv f «: J f ■ m - 7 > 8 - 

y 7 t And after threescore 

as they were yet binding Him, Jesus answered and said, and two weeks shall Mes- 
SufFer ye Me to be at liberty and to advance thus far : W 26. u ° ' m ' **' 
and, going up to the servant who had been wounded, He o fooiTami sW of SS' 
touched his ear, and healed Him immediately. By this act *° b t ell ^ ve a11 tbat f 3 ^ P r °- 
He proved to His enemies that His surrender was voluntary, not Christ to have suffered 
and that He possessed ample power, had He chosen to exert StTmT^io^^Luke 
it, to deliver Himself out of their hands. xxiv - 25 > 26> 



( 3 ) One of them, Simon Peter.'] The name is 
added to the account of the other Three by St. 
John, for Peter was dead when John wrote his 
Gospel. Had the other Evangelists named dur- 
ing his life-time the party who committed this 
assault, it might have subjected him to per- 
secution, and perhaps have rendered him ame- 
nable also to public justice. 

( 4 ) The cup which My Father hath given Me, fyc. ] 
From these words we see that afflictions are gifts 
from God; and this great Example teaches us, 
that though we may pray for trouble to pass 



away from us, yet if the cup be put into our 
hands to drink, we are to drink of it, bitter 
though it may be. Nature struggles, but Grace 
will submit. 

( 5 ) Suffer ye thus far.] This somewhat am- 
biguous phrase has also been understood (though 
it would seem with less probability) as having 
been addressed to the disciples, before our Saviour 
was bound : in that case the sense would be, 
" Suffer ye the matter thus far ;" in other words, 
" Let there be no more violence." 



34S 



THE ELEVEN APOSTLES SEEK THEIR SAFETY IN FLIGHT. 



Then Jesus said in that same hour to the multitudes, 
and to the chief-priests and captains of the Temple and the 
elders, some of which were now come to Him upon hearing 
of the arrest^ Be ye come out, as ye would come against a 
thief, with swords and staves [clubs] for to take Me? When 
I was daily with you of late, I sat quietly teaching in the 
Temple: then ye took Me not, and stretched forth no 
violent hands against Me. But you are the permitted 
s The triumphing of instruments of Satan in this work ; this is your hour,? and 
Se7oy k o e f thet^crite * h <>ur of the power of darkness, under 'the influence of 
hut for a moment. Job w Jii c Ji y 0U ac f, — But all this was permitted to be done, that 
the Scriptures of the Prophets might be fulfilled. 

Then, as He did not defend Himself all the disciples, 
h i, — that speak in yielding to the crisis and to their own fears, forsook Him 

righteousness, mighty to j n i h 
save,— hare trodden' the anCi Hea. 

wine-press alone, and of ^nd, as He was led away by the soldiers, there followed 

the people there was none 7 fi /> 

with Me. isa. lxhi. l— 3. Him a certain young man ( 5 of that neighbourhood, who 
« And Ahner said to had been aroused from sleep ; and, in the confusion and 
now arise.Midpiay before olo/fm of the moment, having only a linen cloth cast about 
us Now there arose his naked bodv: ( '> and the voung men 1 of the Roman guard, 

twelve of Benjamin, and J . . 

twelve of the servants of supposing him to be one of the immediate followers of Jesus, 
every d one" hi^feifo^by kid hold on him i And he left in their hands the linen 

^oShrfeDo^v'siS clotll > b v which the y had detained him < and fled from tnem 

2 Sam.ii. 14—16. " naked. 



( 5 ) A certain young man.] The circumstance 
of this young man following our Lord at His 
apprehension is mentioned only by St. Mark, 
and as it does not seem to have had any con- 
nection with that event, the very probable sup- 
position has occurred that the Evangelist himself 
was the person. 

It is not material, however, to consider St. 
Mark as an original witness, for there is no 
doubt that he was as intimate an associate of some 
of the Apostles as St. Luke had been, and more 
particularly of St. Peter (see Acts xhi. 5 ; xv. 
37; Col. iv. 10; 2 Tim. iv. 11; Philem. 24; 
1 Pet. vi. 13). His Gospel is in effect the work of 
Peter, being revised, if not immediately dictated, 
by that eminent Apostle — of which it is a suf- 
ficient proof, that scarcely any action or conver- | 
sation is recorded, when Peter was not present. 
It was written at Rome, probably before the year j 
63, for a mixed society of converts, chiefly 
Gentile. From the Hebraisms of style, it is 
evident that the author was a Jew, and from his 
Latinisms, that he lived among the Romans. 
Although much resembling St. Matthew's Gospel, 
there is a sufficient variation, in the omission or 
addition of important particulars, to shew that 
at least the writer exercised his own judgment, 



and was no servile copyist : thus, he deviates no 
less than thirteen times in his arrangement of 
facts ; he has several omissions, and twenty-three 
additions ; facts are related more circumstan- 
tially, while discourses are abridged. Mark was 
the son of Mary, — a pious woman at Jerusalem, 
at whose house the Apostles often assembled, 
and wiio was sister to Barnabas (see Acts xii. 12 ; 
Col. iv. 10). Mark's Hebrew name was John, 
and the former would be assumed when he went 
among the Gentiles. It is said that he after- 
wards founded the Church at Alexandria, where 
he died in the eighth year of the reign of Nero. 

( 7 ) Having a linen cloth, §c.~\ A garment of 
Sindon (the word which is here employed in the 
Original, and supposed to be derived from Sidon 
where linen was made) was commonly worn 
during the day, and used as a wrapper at night : 
the party who fled might have had on such a 
garment. Herodotus (lib. ii. cap. 95,) speaks of 
the Sindon as the usual night-dress of the Egyp- 
tians even in his time, which was long before 
our Lord's Coming ; and. Dionysius Alexandrinus 
has the Greek which occurs here in the original 
text, " I was naked (undressed), having on only 
a linen garment," (apud Euseb. Hist. Eccles. 
vi. 40). 



349 



SECTION CXXIII. 

Jesus is removed to the palace op Caiaphas, whither Peter 
follows to see the event; and, according to the pre- 
DICTION of his Master, thrice denies that he knows Him. 

Matt. xxvi. 57, 58, 69—75. Mark xiv. 53, 54, 66—72. Luke xxii. 54—62. 
John xviii. 13—18, 24—27- 

AND they led Him away from Gethsemane, first to 
Annas, (1) for he was father-in-law to Caiaphas, 
which was the High-priest that same memorable year. 
Now Caiaphas was he, which, upon the raising of Lazarus, 
gave counsel to the Jews, — and, being influenced by God, 
in effect prophesied the fact, — that it was expedient that 
one man should die for the safety of the people. 8. And, as * And one of them 
Annas judged it best that there should be a formal trial, th™ht g h-priest h tLt^ame 
they that had laid hold on {had apprehended) Jesus, took r^tl^fait-r 
Him and led Him away, and brought Him next into the consider that it is expe- 

. _ ~ . . 1 tt* i • a. l n i_« p dient that one man should 

house of Caiaphas the High-priest : where all the chiel- die tor the people, and that 
priests, and Scribes, and the elders, having received a sum- J 0 ® w ^ ^^ftj 
monsfor the occasion, were assembled with him. n ? ^ of . hi " ls t j lf ' t but bei £ s 

And Simon Peter followed Jesus afar off, and so did prophesied that Je Jesus 
another disciple <■> {the Evangelist John), for they had now it^-Tu nation - 
partly recovered from their panic. That disciple was known 
unto some of the household of the High-priest, and without 
any difficidty went in with Jesus into the palace of the High- 
priest. But Peter, who had no such influence there, stood 
waiting at the door without : then went out that other dis- 
ciple which was known unto the High-priest, and spake 
unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter. And 



(') First to Annas.] At so critical a juncture 
they might think Annas the best to advise with, 
since of all the rulers he was the most experienced 
in the Law. After rem aning High-priest for 
eleven years, he had been deposed (nine years 
previous to this) by the Romans. Yet five sons, 
and now his son-in-law, succeeded to.the office. 

( 2 ) Another disciple.] This is rendered from 
the Vulgate. The article in the Greek would 
seem to point to Judas, the other disciple who 
had just before been mentioned by the Evange- 
list (St. John) who uses the expression. Cer- 
tainly the traitor might now be in favour with the 
High-Priest, but Peter would scarcely be any lon- 
ger familiar with Judas. St. John himself was 
the most likely of all to have followed his Master. 
From his very circumstantial account of what 
took place at the trial, it would seem that he 
was present; and it was evidently important 
that one of our Lord's avowed historians should 
be an eye-witness of that event.— Again, a par- 
ticular friendship seems always to have existed 
between himself and Peter. They were sent 
together to prepare the Passover (Luke xxii. 8) : 
it was respecting John that Peter was so soli- 



citous to know what should become of him (John 
xxi. 20, 21) : upon the news of the Resurrection 
of Jesus these two hastened together to the Sepul- 
chre, in recording which circumstance John 
expressly describes himself, as he does here, by 
the expression, "that other disciple" (John xx. 
2, 3, 4, 8) : after the Ascension we find them 
going to the Temple, preaching to the people, cast 
into prison, and pleading before the Sanhedrim, 
together ; on which occasion the rulers " took 
knowledge of them that they had been with 
Jesus" — having perhaps received information 
from their attendants with reference to this very 
occasion (Acts iv. 13) : lastly, Peter and John 
were selected by the rest of the Apostles to 
preach the Gospel in Samaria (Acts viii. 14). — 
With regard to this disciple being "known to 
the High-priest," no acknowledged disciple of 
Jesus was likely to be intimately known to that 
dignitary : the fact seems only mentioned to 
show how they gained admittance : John had 
probably some relation or acquaintance in the 
palace ; and there are many circumstances which 
occasion a knowledge of each other between 
persons whose conditions are unequal. 



350 



PETER'S FIRST AND SECOND DENIALS OF HIS MASTER. 



when they who had brought in Jesus had kindled a fire in 
the midst of the hall, which they did by burning charcoal 
in a chafing-dish, and were set down together, Peter sat 
down among them, with the servants, to see the end {the 
issue of the trial), and warmed himself at the fire. 

And as Peter sat thus beneath [without, Matt.] the 
tribunal in the hall of the palace/ 3 ) there cometh up unto 
him one of the maids of the High-priest — even the same 
damsel that before kept the door. And when she saw 
Peter, as he sat warming himself by the fire, she looked 
earnestly upon him and said, This man was also with him, 
as well as his companion ivho brought him in : tell us, art 
not thou also one of this man's disciples ? surely thou also 
wast with Jesus of Nazareth of Galilee. And he, thrown 
into confusion by this unexpected charge, abruptly denied 
Him before them all, saying, Woman, I am not one of 
them : I know Him not, neither understand I anything of 
what thou sayest. And turning away, he went out into 
the porch to avoid any further question; and it was now 
midnight, and the cock crew. (4) 

And the servants and officers still stood there, who, 
as it was stated, had made a fire of coals ; for it was 
cold : and they warmed themselves. And Simon Peter, 
having returned and mixed with the crowd, again stood 
with them and warmed himself. And when he was gone 
out into [had now been out in) the porch — and thus the first 
denial, which had driven him there, had taken place — after 
a little while again another maid saw him, and said unto 
them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of 
Nazareth : and presently she began to say to them that 
stood by her, This certainly is one of them. They said 
therefore unto him, taking now more particular notice of 
him, Is it not as she says? art not thou also one of his 
disciples ? And another coming up at the moment saw him, 
and charging him directly ivith the fact, said, Thou art also 
one of them. And Peter again denied it, and this time 
with an oath, — adding perjury to his falsehood, — and said 
to him who had charged it so directly upon him, Man, 1 am 
not one of them ; I call God to ivitness that I do not know 
the man ! 

And after a while, about the space of one hour after 
this, another person present confidently affirmed the fact, 



( s ) Beneath, in the palace. ] Matthew describes 
Peter as sitting "without;" but both accounts 
are consistent. The Hall was an extensive one, 
having in the upper part a raised tribunal, upon 
which Jesus now stood awaiting the judges: 
Peter would be considered as "without the 
court," when he stood beneath, where the attend- 
ants were. 



( 4 ) The cock crew.] It has been objected 
that these birds were not allowed to be kept in 
the city, and there is no doubt that some regu- 
lation existed on the subject; but that it was not 
strictly enforced, appears from a passage in the 
Jerusalem Talmud, where a cock, which had 
killed a little child, is stoned by sentence of the 
Council. 



THE THIRD DENIAL, AND REPENTANCE OF PETER. 



351 



saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him, for he 
too is a Galilean. And they that stood by, hearing the 
charge renewed from a fresh quarter, came unto Peter, 
and said again to him, Surely thou also art one of them, 
and it is in vain any longer to deny it; for thou art indeed, 
as he says, a Galilean, and thy speech (the dialect in 
which thou speakest) agreeth plainly thereto and be- b Behold, are not all 
wrayeth thee ? b And at this moment one of the servants leans ?^ AcViL 7V GaU * 
of the High-priest, — being his kinsman (the kinsman of 
him) whose ear Peter had cut off, — saith, Did not I 
see thee in the garden with him ? Then Peter, more 
alarmed than ever at a charge so nearly affecting his per- 
sonal safety, denied again ; and, accused as he was on all 
sides, began to curse and to swear (imprecating curses on 
himself if he spoke not the truth), saying, Man, I know not 
what thou sayest : I know not this man of whom ye all 
speak ! And immediately, while he yet spake,— -just as 
the words had escaped his lips, — the cock crew the second 
time. 

And Peter, when he heard it, felt the first consciousness of 
his dreadful sin ; and his eyes immediately became rivetted 
on his Master, who stood calmly awaiting His trial at the 
upper end of the hall. And the Lord turned and looked 
upon Peter. That one impressive look, conveying reproof, yet 
at the same time beaming forth pity and forgiveness, at once 
struck conviction to the heart of the offending disciple, and 
Peter now fully remembered the word of the Lord Jesus, 
how He had said unto him, " Before the cock crow twice, 
thou shalt deny Me thrice" (Mark xiv. 30). — And Peter, c Godly sorrow work- 
full of contrition and unable to contain himself, went out; ^/J^^^ 
and when he thought thereon/ 5 ) he wept bitterly ! c (6) Cor. vii. 10. 



( 5 ) When he thought thereon.} A great deal 
of learning has been expended to show that the 
original expression, thus translated, has been 
employed to signify " having covered his head 
with his mantle," and also, " having cast himself 
forth ;" the former of these readings is adopted 
by some eminent Greek Fathers, and is certainly 
applicable to a person in great affliction (see 2 
Sam. xv. 30 ; and Esth. vi. 12) : the latter has 
also been ably supported, and the word is repeat- 
edly used in that sense by the writers of the 
Septuagint. Still there is not sufficient reason 
to disturb the very suitable sense conveyed in 
our Translation, and perhaps there are more 
classical examples in its favour than for any 
other. 

( 6 ) He wept bitterly. ] Peter's sin had been 
no sin of infirmity, but was a positive fall from 
grace. He had deliberately affirmed a base 
falsehood three times, — on each occasion with 
greater positiveness and vehemency ; first affirm- 
ing flatly that he knew nothing of Jesus, then 
strengthening it "with an oath," and ending with 
"cursing and swearing." — Yet the same night, 
which beheld Peter a pertinacious sinner, beheld 



him an humble, heart-broken penitent. The 
reality of that repentance, and of permanent 
conversion to his Saviour, was abundantly proved 
by a life-long of obedience and zeal. — The 
account of St. Mark on this occasion is the most 
circumstantial; and, as that Gospel was no doubt 
dictated or supervised by Peter, it affords a 
striking evidence of the simplicity and openness 
of his character. His humility (John xiii. 6),— 
his ardent zeal (John xviii. 10), — his faith when 
he leaped into the sea to join his Master, and 
the remarkable events, redounding so much to his 
honour, which followed on that occasion (John 
xxi. 7 — 19) — all these are not touched on in 
St. Mark's narrative ; and even his present re- 
pentance but slightly. — The frequent repetition 
of the Apostle's name in this place (which 
is used particularly by St. Luke in the closing 
sentences) may be intended to draw our atten- 
tion to the fact, that, notwithstanding the for- 
titude and resolution with which Peter after- 
wards defended the Gospel (with a particular view 
to which qualities that memorable name was given 
by his Master), he could fall very low indeed, 
when he relied solely upon himself. And the 



352 



SECTION CXXIV. 

Jesus is twice examined; and the second time, on being 
adjured by the hlgh-priest, avows hlmself to be the 
Messiah, the Son of God. 

Matt. xxvi. 59—68. Mark xiv. 55—65. Luke xxii. 63—71. 
John xviii. 19 — 23. 

THEN, the Court being constituted, the High-priest 
asked Jesus of [concerning) His disciples, and also of 
His doctrine ; intending first, upon His admissions as to 
the number of His followers, to charge Him with sedition to 
the Roman power ; and then, upon His declarations as to 
His Divinity, to found the charge of blasphemy — a crime 
which was directly cognizable in their own court. 

But Jesus, willing as He was to become the great Sacri- 

* Then said some of fi ce > demurred to this unjust proceeding of the High-priest, 
th^He whom^they S seek * n vnMmg Him criminate Himself; and, without replying at 
to km? But io, He all to the first question, for that might have endangered His 
say^oSingtoHSfjohn disciples, answered him, (1) As to My doctrine, I spake it 

25 ' 2Q ' openly to the world : a I ever taught in the synagogue, b 

* And He taught in an( j m the Temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in 

then* synagogues, being , A m *' 

glorified of ail. Luke secret c (with seditious views) have I said nothing. vYhy 
therefore askest thou Me concerning My doctrine} Ask 
' 7 a Y?I rather them which heard Me, what I have said unto them : 

done in a corner. Acts 7 

xxvi- 26- behold, they ivell know what I said. 

Nov/ Annas had sent Him bound to Caiaphas, the 
legally-constituted High-priest, before whom He now stood. 
And when He had thus spoken, one of the officers of the 
court, which stood by, wantonly struck Jesus, bound as 
d And the high-priest He ivas, on the cheek with the palm of his hand, d saying, 

Ananias commanded them A . ,-. TT . -, • , 7 0 T 77 

that stood by Paul, to Answerest thou the High-priest so rudely ? J esus meekly 
Act^xxm ST the mouth ' answered him upon this unprovoked assault, If I have 
spoken evil (contumeliously) , shew Me My fault, and bear 



e —that make a man an 
offender for a word, and 



witness against Me of the evil ; but if / have spoken well, 
and only that which is just, why smitest thou Me ? 



reproveihL f Se^gate, mS Now the chief-priests and elders, and all the council, 
E g a of e nougnt St { °isL driven to the necessity of proving their charges, sought 

xxix. 21. for false witness e against Jesus, to put Him to death with 



narrative of this fall being so expressly recorded 
by all (for even St. John repeats it with the rest), 
would seem to be a caution against the extra- 
vagant regard afterwards claimed for St. Peter 
and his successors by the Roman Church. 

( ! ) Jesus answered him, <|c] In this reply 
Jesus stood upon his right, thus upholding justice 
and the honour of the Law, which were made for 
the protection of the innocent as well as the 



punishment of the guilty. — Hence we learn that 
we may insist on justice being done to us, and, 
whenever unjustly accused, may compel our 
slanderers to prove what they have to urge 
against us. Our Lord referred to those who had 
attended His teaching for a testimony ; and the 
lesson is one still more important, that to those 
who have known us, we may be able confidently 
to appeal as witnesses of our sincerity and of the 
purity and rectitude of our lives. 



JESUS, ON BEING ADJURED, AVOWS HIMSELF TO BE THE MESSIAH. 353 



at least some semblance of Justice : but found none ivhich 
sufficiently answered their purpose, or that established any 
charge on which they could obtain a capital sentence ; for 
though many false witnesses came/ and bare false witness 
against Him, yet found they none : their witness agreed 
not together, and the Law absolutely required the concur- 
rent evidence of at least two persons in all capital cases. % 

At the last there came two false witnesses, who arose 
and bare false witness against Him, h — perverting certain 
luords which He had spoken concerning His own body three 
years before, — and said, This fellow said, I am able to 
destroy the Temple of God, and to build it in three days : 
we ourselves distinctly heard him say, as he stood in the 
court of the Gentiles, I will destroy this Temple that is 
made with hands, and within three days I will build 
another made without hands. But, although it was a 
capital offence to speak against the Temple, neither so did 
their witness agree together ; and even by their own admis- 
sion, He had promised to restore it complete again. 

Now as soon as it was break of day, and a more regular 
court could be held in the public place of justice, the elders 
of the people, and the chief-priests, and the Scribes, came 
again together, and led Jesus from the palace of Caiaphas 
into their council. And, the two ivitnesses being again 
brought forward, the High-priest stood up in the midst, 
and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing to such 
a serious accusation ? what is it which these men witness 
against thee ? But Jesus held His peace, 1 and answered 
nothing, for He did not deign a reply, well knowing that to 
make any would have been in vain. And they, urging Him 
to make some confession, said, Art thou the Christ ? tell us 
plainly if such are thy pretensions. And He said unto 
them, If I merely tell you that I am, you will not believe 
Me : and if I also ask you ivhat you object to the proofs I 
bring, you will not answer Me, nor let Me go. 

And now, in order to force a confession from Jesus and 
bring the matter to an issue, the High-priest craftily be- 
thought himself of an expedient; and answered again and 
said unto Him, I solemnly adjure thee k (i) by the Living 
God, that thou tell us at once whether thou be the Christ, 
the Son of the Blessed God ? And Jesus, thus solemnly 
adjured, no longer declined to answer, and saith unto him, 
in the customary form of strong affirmation, Thou hast said 
the truth : I am the Messiah, the Son of God. Nevertheless 



' False witnesses did 
rise up ; they laid to My 
charge things that I knew 
not. Ps. xxxv. 11. 

S At the mouth of twn 
witnesses, or three wit- 
nesses, shall he that is 
worthy of death be put 
to death: but at the 
mouth of one witness he 
shall not be put to death. 
Deut. xvii. 6. 

h Jesus answered and 
said unto them, Destroy 
this temple, and in three 
days I will raise it up. 
But He spake of the tem- 
ple of His body. John 

11. 19, 21. 

And they stirred up the 
people, and the elders and 
the scribes, and brought 
him to the council, and 
set up false witnesses, 
which said, This man 
ceaseth not to speak blas- 
phemous words against 
this Holv Place. Acts vi, 

12, 13. 



» They that seek after 
My life lay snares for 
Me : but I was as a dumb 
man that openeth not his 
mouth, — as a man that 
heareth not, and in whose 
mouth are no reproofs. 
Ps. xxxviii. 12—14. 

As a sheep before shear- 
ers is dumb, so He open 
eth not His mouth. Isa 
liii. 7. 

k If a soul sin, and 
hear the voice of swear- 
ing ; if he do not utter it, 
then he shall bear his ini- 
quity. Lev. v. 1 . 

And the man that will 
do presumptuously, and 
will nor hearken unto the 
judge, even that man shall 
die. Deut. xvii. 12. 

And the king said unto 
him, How many times 
shall I adjure thee, that 
thou tell me nothing, 
but that which is true, in 
the name of the Lord? 
1 Kings xxii. 16. 



( 2 ) 2" adjure thee.'] This adjuration impe- 
ratively claimed a reply in the Jewish courts 
when it was accompanied by an interrogation; 
and the answer returned was regarded as an 
answer on oath. The silence of a person so 



adjured was construed into guilt. Our Lord, 
who had disdained to reply to unfounded charges, 
now considered Himself bound to answer — thus 
setting the example to others of due reverence to 
authority and of respect for solemn forms. 

2 A 



354 THE SANHEDRIM PRONOUNCE JESUS TO BE DESERVING OF DEATH. 



i The Lord said unto (Moreover, Gr,), little as My present appearance and situa- 

my Lord, Sit Thou on My ). ' ' r. t j* i t.' ~u J p '* T 

right hand, until I make tion may accord with a character oj such high dignity, 1 

sto h oh e p s !™x. S i Thy f ° 0t " sa Y unt0 you now present, that hereafter [after a little 

who, when He had hy while) shall ye see the Son of man, as it has been predicted 

Himself purged our sins, ; J . y ■* 

sat down on the right of Him by the Psalmist, sitting on the right hand of the 

high. °*Heb. i^S^ ° U power of God j 1 and, as predicted also by the prophet 

m j saw in the nioht Daniel, coming in the clouds of heaven : m even that sign, 

visions, and behold, One which you have so often demanded in confirmation of My 

like the Son of man came .. , , . 7 . . 

with the clouds of heaven, mission, shall be given, and in this generation, as at the Last 

d^Sna l^^d Da V> V° u wiU ^ness its coming in vengeance. 

a kingdom. Dan. vii. 13, Then said they all with eagerness, anxious to fix His 

Then shall appear the words, Art thou then the Son of God ? And He said unto 

Eeir e anrt£L m sha3 them > Y ^ say that which indeed I am. Then the High- 

aii the tribes of the earth priest, as if horror-struck with what he heard, solemnly 

mourn, and they shall see , . 7 n -i • i i • 

the Son of man coming in and in the accustomed form rent his clothes, (3) saying, 

^wer° U and f gre^t%ioi^ He hath spoken open blasphemy: 11 what further need 

Matt. xxiv. 30. nave we 0 f witnesses ? Behold, now ye have all heard his 

n The Jews sought to blasphemy: what think ye of it ? They answered and 

Sd thaT' God C& was His sa id, He is guilty of [liable to and deserving of) death: 0 

Father, making Himself f nou hast justly observed, What need we any further 

equal with God. John v. o a 7 j 

18. witness ? for we ourselves have heard of his own mouth. 

« And he that biasphe- — And accordingly they all, who were then present, unani- 

Lot he^TLetyt «■«■* condemned Him to be guilty of death, 

put to death. Lev. xxiv. Then the men that held Jesus, hearing that He was 

The Jews answered condemned, mocked Him ; and some, to shew their con- 

^I^™^CL tempt, began to spit in His sacred face/ and to buffet 

die, because he made Him about, and others roughly smote Him^ — the whole of 

himself the Son of God. 5 u y J 

John xix. 7. which contumelious treatment He patiently endured. And 

p They abhor me, and when they had blindfolded Him, the servants struck Him 

fa P ce re j! xxx P io! n my on the face with the P alms of their hands > and derisively 

„, . . asked Him, saving, Thou Christ, who pretendest to know all 

1 l hey have gaped up- _ - 0 * ■ a 

on me with their mouth ; thing s, let us see a proof of thy skill: prophesy [declare) 

upon thT cheek ^proach! unto us, who is he that last smote thee ? — And many other 

fully ; they have gather- t hi ngs blasphemously spake thev against Him. 

ed themselves together 0 J- J r jo 

against me. Job xvi. 10. — I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair ; I 
hid not My face from shame and spitting. Isa. 1. 6. — He giveth His cheek to him that smiteth Him : He is filled 

full with reproach. Lam. iii. 30. 



( 3 ) Bent his clothes.'] This was an ancient 
mode of expressing violent grief or indignation ; 
and, among the Jews, he who heard blasphemy 
spoken was bound in holy zeal to rend his gar- 
ments. The Apostles did so at Lystra (Actsxiv. 
14). — It has been objected that the High-priest 
was forbidden by the Law to rend his garments ; 
but that was only in case of private mourning 
for the dead (Lev. xxi. 10, 11), — that so the 
chief minister of religion should not appear as a 
mourner before God, or make his grief public by 
any outward sign. The pontifical dress was 



made so as not to admit of being rent (Exod. 

xxviii. 32) : it descended from father to son, and 
was only to be worn when they ministered (Exod. 

xxix. 29, 30) ; so that that could not be the dress 
worn by the High-priest on the present occasion. 
— After this solemn formality of rending the 
garments, and the condemnation of Jesus for 
assumed blasphemy, it is observable how the 
Evangelist Luke sums up by fixing the charge 
upon our Lord's enemies : it was they who " spake 
blasphemously against Him." 



355 



SECTION CXXV. 

The Council determine to deliver up Jesus to Pilate, the 
Roman Governor; who, believing Him to be innocent, 
declines to condemn Him, and, having discovered that He 
is a Galilean, sends Him to Herod Antipas. 

Matt, xxvii. 1, 2, 11 — 14. Mark xv. 1 — 5. Luke xxiii. 1- — 7- 
John xviii. 28—38. 

AND straightway when the morning was now fully come, 
all the chief-priests, with the elders of the people 
and Scribes, and the whole council, held a private consul- 
tation against Jesus, a concerning the best mode of pro- * The rulers take coun - 

7 tt • it a t .n . 7 ,t y a se l together against the 

cedure to put Him to death. — And they at length deter- Lord, and against His 
mined to accuse Him, in the first instance, of sedition to the Anomted - Ps - u - 2 - 
Roman government. 

And, as His bonds had been removed for the last public 
examination, when they had again bound Him, as though 
He were now proved to be a notorious malefactor and 
worthy of death, the whole multitude {assembly) of them 
arose ; and they led Him away unto the Hall of Judgment 
of the Roman magistrate, and there delivered Him to 
Pontius Pilate, the governor/ 1 ' who had come up according 
to custom, from Cesarea, to administer justice and prevent 
tumults during the Feast. And it was still early in the 
day, so that the Court was not yet sitting : and they them- 
selves went not into the Judgment-hall, lest they should 
be defiled b by coming in contact with the Roman officers b it is an unlawful thing 
or other heathen, but remained without that they might be to'crane mito one 8 of ano- 
legally-pure to eat the passover; c for they entertained thernatl0n - Acts x. 28. 
solemn scruples on all such ceremonial points, although they , c Whatsoever the un. 

* . u o c i ean person touchetb 

hesitated not to seek a death-warrant against an innocent shall be unclean ■ and the 

soul that toucheth it shall 

person. be unelean until even- 

Pilate then, in compliance with these formal scru- Numb - xix - 23 - 
pies of the Jewish rulers, went out from the Judgment-hall 
unto them (2) on an open platform which adjoined the palace, 



(*) Pontius Pilate, the Governor. ] Judea, 
being now a Roman province, under the imme- 
diate control of the emperor, and annexed to 
Syria, was governed by an inferior officer or 
Procurator. Pontius Pilate, the fifth of these 
since the removal of Archelaus, came into office 
the twenty-seventh year of the vulgar JEra. He 
is generally characterized by Josephus as an 
unjust and cruel governor. After he had held 
office ten years, the Samaritans, whom he had 
grievously persecuted, sent an embassy to the 
pro-consul of Syria, by whom he was ordered to 
Rome to give an account of his administration : 
but Tiberius being dead before his arrival, A.D. 
37, the succeeding emperor banished him to 



Gaul, where he isjpaid to have committed suicide 
A.D. 41. 

( 2 ) Went out unto them.'] This could be done 
without fear of defilement from himself or his 
retinue. A kind of stage had been erected in 
the open court before the palace ; it was called 
in Hebx'ew "Gabbatha" from its height; in 
Greek "the Pavement" from its tesselated 
flooring, for, as it was exposed to the weather, 
it had, been paved with pieces of coloured 
marble in Mosaic. Suetonius relates in his life 
of Julius Caesar, that that emperor carried about 
with him in his expeditions such pieces of sawn 
marble and variegated stone to adorn his prae- 
toriuni, As this platform adjoined the palace- 

2 A 2 



35G 



THE JEWS ACCUSE JESUS OF SEDITION. 



and said. What accusation bring ye against this man ? 
They answered and said unto him, If he were not already 
proved to be a malefactor, we would not have delivered him 
up unto thee for judgment. Then said Pilate unto them. 
—for he "knew that from envy they had delivered Him" 
{see Matt, xxvii. 18), — Take ye him, and judge [try) him 
d if it be a question of according to your Law, d for the Roman Law cannot con- 
To 0 ur d L a a ^ ZT^to £ demn 8 "** unheard. The Jews therefore said unto him, 
for i will be no judge of We already adjudge him to be deserving of death ; but. as 

such matters. Acts xviii. _ 77 f * f . . . . . . _ „ 3 

lo. thou well knowest, it is not lawful for us, without confirma- 

' And Jesus, going up tion from thee, to put any man to death. W — And all this 
to Jerusalem took the was dom ^ ft^ saving of Jesus might be fulfilled, which 

twelve disciples apart in "... 

tiT ^BHd Said 111110 50 repeatedly spake, signifying what manner of death 

to Jerusalem, and the Son He should die e — that it would be by a Roman, and not by 

un,X?^S a Jewish punishment. 

unto the Scribes; and And thev, — thinking that Pilate might care little for 

thev shall condemn Him _ y 9 J 

to death, and shall deU- the charge oj blasphemy, — oegan to accuse Him of treason 
to^m?™ and^o 2»iJr^ t° ^ e emperor, saying, We found this fellow perverting the 
andtoc^udfyHim. Mart. na ti 0 n, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar ; (4 > saying 
As Moses lifted up the also, that he himself is Christ, a King f who shall be supe- 

Serpent in the wilderness, ' , n ±1 i • \J"ltt jr el- 

even so must the Son of rior 1° other kings. And when He was accused of the 

man be lifted up. John c hief-priests and elders of this and many other things 

i, if i be lifted up, will equally false and malicious, He still answered nothing. 

this He said, signifying Then Pilate, who could no longer decline to examine Him on 

die"" Jonn^i 5 ^ &h ° uld SUC ^ charges, saith unto Him, Answerest thou nothing in 

r m thine own vindication ? hearest thou not what tlieu say ? 

f The Jews cried out, . . . 

whosoever mateth him- behold, now many grave things they witness against thee, 
gainst Ca5sar. Sp johnxix! And Jesus yet (still) answered him to never a word, inso- 
12 - much that Pilate the governor marvelled greatly. 

Then Pilate entered into the Judgment-hall again, and 
called Jesus in, that he might examine Him according to 
the regular forms of justice. And Jesus stood there before 
the governor. And Pilate asked Him, saying, Art thou the 
king of the Jews ? hast thou any such pretensions as they 
ascribe to thee? Jesus answered him, Say est thou this thing 
of thyself, really believing that I would usurp the Govern- 
ment ; or did others, who reject My claims as the Messiah, 



wall, and communicated with it by a door, the 
governor could easily come oft and address the 
people. When causes were heard there, it was 
covered above, and a throne was placed for judg- 
ment, as described at John xix. 13. 

( 3 ) It is not lawful for us to put any man to 
death.] The Sanhedrim could adjudicate on 
any matters affecting their religion, and punish 
offenders with scourging, without authority from 
the Roman governor ; but it has been a point 
much disputed whether they still retained the 
power of inflicting capital punishment. Some of 
the most powerful arguments adduced to shew 
they had not such power, will yet admit of weighty 
answers ; and on the whole it appears most rea- 
sonable to suppose, that this power had, from 



various causes, gradually been relinquished by the 
Jews, and had now imperceptibly lapsed into the 
hands of the Romans. We do not, indeed, find 
any permission for the stoning of Stephen after 
the trial of that martyr, but the act appears to 
have been somewhat tumultuous (see Acts vi.). 
— The Jews could not have condemned Jesus to 
death while their Passover lasted, nor have re- 
tained Him in custody without tumult ; and 
being afraid of the people, they rather press the 
political charges, so as to bring in the authority 
of Pilate and remove the odium from themselves. 

( 4 ) Forbidding to give tribute to Casar.] Upon 
the utter falsehood of this charge, see Section 
CVIII., with Note 3. 



PILATE EXAMINES JESUS. 



357 



tell it thee of Me ? Pilate answered, Am I a Jew, that 
I should understand any such claims in regard to thy 
religion, or enquire respecting them for my own satisfaction? 
I am here as a judge to act impartially, and the suspicions 
of thy fidelity to the government proceed entirely from others : 
yea. thine own nation,? and the chief-priests themselves at * The God of Abraham, 

17 A . - , s. and of Isaac, and of Jacob, 

its head, have delivered thee unto me : what hast thou done the God of our fathers 
to incense them thus, and induce them to lay this heavy crime jeSs, whomye^eWed 
to thy charqe? Jesus answered with calm dignity, It is u P , and denied Him in the 

a a r i • i • n P resence ot Pilate, when 

true that I have a kingdom, but then My kingdom is not of he was determined to let 
this world, h nor is it attended with outward shew and Him §0 ' Acts 1U " 13 ' 
power: if My kingdom were of this world, then would ki „J 0 h ^ ^%u^jL 
My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the tre Th P g xlv, d 6 ' f G d 
rulers of the Jews ; but now, since this has not been at- cometh not with observa- 
tempted, it is evident that My kingdom is not from hence, ^when'Ss^rther'efore, 
and cannot be opposed to the Roman power. perceived that they would 

, p , . come and take Him by 

Pilate therefore, wishing to hear further, said unto force, to make Him a 
Him, Art thou a king then, that thou speakest of thy king- S'a^ountain^HimS 
dom; and dost thou really claim that title? And Jesus, al °^- Johnvi - 15 - 

a m t 7 The kingdom ot God is 

freely acknowledging His dignity, answered him and said, righteousness and peace, 
Thou sayest only the truth, that I am a King. 1 To this end Ghost.° y Rom. xiv. 
was I born k , that I should reign over true Israelites for ever ; 5 Christ Jesus> who be _ 
and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear fore Pontius Pilate wit- 

. . nessed a good confession. 

witness 1 unto the Iruth. Every one that is a lover of the l Tim. vi. ia. 
Truth is My subject, and he heareth and obeyeth My voice. m k And He shall reign 
— Pilate, now fully satisfied of His innocence, and regarding J™ ever* a ^ U of HiskhJ 
Him only as some harmless visionary, saith unto Him, ivith dom there . sha11 be no 
hurried and contemptuous indifference, What is Truth ? (5) 

And when he had said this, without waiting for a Him^br^^itnels to the 
reply, he went * out again on the Pavement unto the Jews, P eo P le - Isa - lv - 4 - 
and saith to the people, and to the chief-priests who were ^™ He thaUs of God, 
also standing below awaiting his decision, I find no fault John viii. 47. 
{no crime) at all in this man such as that of which you 
accuse him. 

And, when they found that the governor was disposed to 
acquit Him, they were the more fierce in their accusations, 
and exaggerated their former charge, saying, He stirreth up 
the people from one end of the country to the other, teach- 
ing his seditious doctrines throughout a 1 ! Jewry, beginning 
from Galilee, ever the fountain-head of faction, even to this 
sacred place. When Pilate heard them speak of Galilee, 
and understood that Jesus had commenced His preaching 



( 5 ) Pilate saith unto him, What is Truth ?] 
This same question had long agitated the world, 
and was, in our Lord's time, the great subject of 
inquiry in the Greek schools. Pilate did not 
suppose that a person in the apparent condition 
of a Jewish peasant could solve such a question, 
and most probably he only put it to our Lord in 
contempt. The explanation which Jesus had 
given of the nature of His sovereignty, must have 



satisfied the governor that his conduct did not 
involve the guilt of treason ; and as he would be 
aware how frequently lofty titles and a chime- 
rical royalty formed a part of the heathen philo- 
sophy, he may have taken Him for one of those 
harmless Wise men attached to the Stoic school, 
" Who reigned a monarch, though without a throne." 

Francis's Horace (lib. i. Sat. 3). 



358 



1PILATE SENDS JESUS TO HEROD ANTIPAS. 



there, an expedient immediately suggested itself, that he 
might without offence get rid of this perplexing affair ; and, 
accordingly, he asked whether the man were a Galilean : 
and as soon as he knew that he was, and therefore be- 
n Herod, being teti arch longed unto Herod's jurisdiction, n (6) he sent Him at once 
to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, who himself was 
also at Jerusalem at that time to attend the Feast. 



SECTION CXXVI. 

Herod, having mocked Jesus, sends Him back to Pilate ; who, 
after repeated efforts to save his life, passes the 
sentence of condemnation. 

Matt, xxvii. 15—31. Mark xv. 6—20. Luke xxiii. 8 — 25. 
John xviii. 39, 40; xix. 1 — 16. 

AND when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad 
of the opportunity ; for he was desirous of a long 
season to see Him, because he had heard many things 
» Now Herod the te- (much) of Him, a and he hoped to have seen some miracle 

was done by Him done by Him. But Jesus, — though He had never denied the 

Him h LiduTix^ % See P e ^ on °f ^ e meanest applicant who came to Him in faith, 
— tuould not gratify the idle curiosity of this tyrant and 
murderer of the Baptist. Then he questioned with Him 
in many words, but Jesus still disappointed him, for He 
answered him nothing. 

And the chief-priests and Scribes, having follovjed 
Jesus from the judgment-hall, stood in the presence of the 
Tetrarch, and again vehemently accused Him of blasphemy 
and of assuming the title of a King ; for they did not ven- 
ture, on this occasion, to charge Him with fomenting sedi- 
tion in Galilee. 

And Herod, who had suffered some remorse, as well as 
much unpopularity , for his murder of the Baptist, would have 
nothing to do ivith the death of Jesus; yet, with his men 
of war (his body-guard) he set Him at nought,- — treating 
Him as a person utterly insignificant ; and mocked Him in 
* Of a truth, against respect to His royal pretensions, and arrayed Him in a 

Thy holv child Jesus, 1 . f. , , 7 , . 7 , r T - 

whom Thou hast anointed, gorgeous robe which had been cast aside, and sent Him 
Pnate H m r t°h SgS a g ain to Pilate for final judgment— thus in his turn paying 
and the people of Israel, d e f erenC e to the Roman qovemor. And the same day 

were gathered together. * u J 

Acts iv. 27. Pilate and Herod were made friends together, 13 for before 



( 6 ) Herod's jurisdiction.] It was the regular 
practice of the Roman Law to remit a prisoner 
to the governor of the province to which he be- 
longed. — Pilate might also be glad of the oppor- 
tunity of showing some deference to Herod, 



wkom he had offended (probably by his slaughter 
01 the Galileans in the Temple, Luke xiii. 1): 
indeed, this compliment appears to have led to 
a reconciliation between the two dignitaries 
(Luke xxiii, 12). 



THE JEWS PREFER BARABBAS TO JESUS. 



359 



this interchange of courtesies they were living at enmity 
between themselves, 

And Pilate took advantage of Herod's concurrence with 
him in opinion, as a further confirmation of the inno- 
cence of Jesus : and, when he had called together the 
chief-priests, and the rulers, and the people, said unto 
them, Ye have brought this man unto me as one that per- 
verteth the people from their allegiance to C&sar ; and 
behold, I, having examined him before you as well as in 
private, have found no fault in this man touching those 
things whereof ye accuse him : no, nor yet Herod although 
he is a Jew ; for I sent you to him with the accused, and lo, 
nothing, as though he were worthy (deserving) of death, is 
done unto him. I will therefore chastise him by scourging, 
and then release him. 

Now at that important Feast, which the Jews so spe- 
cially commemorated as their own release from bondage, the 
Governor was wont of late years, — and, as the custom had 
become established, he must now of necessity do the same, 
— to release unto the people one prisoner, whomsoever 
they desired. And there was then a notable (a notorious) 
prisoner named Barabbas, which lay bound, together with 
them that had with him as their chief made insurrection 
in the city — an act that rendered him popular with the 
Jews ; and who, in addition to the crime of sedition with 
which Jesus was also charged, had committed murder in the 
insurrection, and was commonly known as a highway robber. 
—And the multitude therefore, when they were gathered 
together before the tribunal, crying aloud to the Governor, 
began to desire him to do as he had ever done unto them, 
and to award them a prisoner. But Pilate answered them, 
saying, Ye have, it is true, a custom, that I should release 
unto you one at the Passover : whom will ye therefore that 
I release unto you ? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called 
Christ, the king of the Jews ? — For he knew that the chief- 
priests had delivered Him for (from) envy of His popularity 
and jealousy of His pretensions, rather than from any regard 
to justice ; and he hoped that the people would be ashamed to 
ask for the liberation of so great a criminal as Barabbas. 

But the chief-priests and elders moved and persuaded 
the people, — weak and capricious in inclination as multi- 
tudes ever are, — that they should ask Pilate that he 
should rather release Barabbas unto them, and destroy 
Jesus. — The Governor answered and said formally unto 
them, Whether of the twain whom I have named will ye that ■ In ^ e P resence °« 

J Pilate, when he was Ge- 

I release unto you ? And then again they cried out all termined to let Him go, 

at once, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas : away with mdtte Ju*t;^d°desired 

this man, and release unto us Barabbas! 0 And Pilate a murderer to be granted 

' t unto you. Acts m. 13, 

answered and said again unto them, What will ye then 14. 



JESUS IS SCOURGED AND CROWNED WITH THORNS. 



that I shall do with Jesus, which is called Christ, — whom 
ye call the king of the Jews ? And they all cried out 
again, and, blindly doing as they were told by their rulers, 
say unto him, Crucify him! we own him not as a king ; let 
him be treated as the vilest slave, and crucified ! — Pilate 
therefore, willing, if possible, rather to release Jesus, spake 
again to them on His behalf: but they still cried out, 
saying, Crucify him, crucify him ! — And Pilate said unto 
them the third time, Why are you so desirous that I should 
crucify him ? what grievous evil hath he done to deserve 
such a punishment? 1, who have strictly examined him, 
have found no sufficient cause of death in him. I will, 
therefore, as I purposed, chastise him by scourging, and let 
him go. And they were instant [urgent) with loud voices, 
. and cried out the more exceedingly, requiring that He 
might be crucified ; and the voices of them, and of the 
chief-priests ivlio had influenced them, prevailed over the 
weak and irresolute Governor. 

Then Pilate therefore, that he might stay the clamours of 
* The ploughed plough, the Jetvs, took Jesus and scoursed Him d(1 ) in their siqht : 

ed upon My back ; they n . * 

made long their furrows, ivhicli punishment ivas often preparatory to crucifixion, and 
Ps i C |a X ve*My back to the ^ e hoped that it might suffice to appease their fury. — Then, 
8m 5??' 6 : ivhen He had suffered from the scourge, the soldiers of the 

With His stripes we % tx - • 

are healed, isa. liii. 5, Governor took J esus and led Him away into the common- 
hall of Judgment, called Preetorium, and gathered unto Him 
the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped Him of 
His own mantle, and clothed Him with purple (2) [put on 
Him a cast off scarlet robe, Matt.] such as was worn 
by kings ; and when they had platted a crown or wreath of 
thorns, (3 > they put it upon His head, and in place of a 
sceptre, they put a reed or cane in His right hand : and then 
they began, with mock deference, to salute Him, and bowing 
their knees, worshipped (did reverence to) Him, and mocked 
Him with regal titles, saying, Hail, king of the Jews! 
And when they were iired with this mockery, they did 
e i hid not my face spit upon Him ; e and took the reed out of His hand and 

from shame and spitting. , TT . ,11 i 7 • • j.i ,1 j • , 

i sa . 1. 6. smote Him on the head — driving the thorns deeper into 

His temples by their blows; and others smote Him with 
their hands. 



( 1 ) And scourged Him.'\ That this was a 
prelude to crucifixion in the case of slaves, is 
mentioned by Livy. St. Matthew elsewhere 
uses the common Latin expression, when he 
speaks of this part of the Roman punishment ; 
but St. John, who had less intercourse with 
the Romans, employs instead an expression which 
was familiar to the Greeks. The Jlagella were 
terribly sharp, and are termed by Horace hor- 
ribilia. 

(2) With purple.] St. Matthew calls it a 
scarlet robe, but the name of " purple" was given 
by the ancients to all colours which had any 



mixture of red in them, and thus scarlet obtained 
that name. 

( 3 ) A crown of thorns.] Thorns were the first 
fruits of the Curse, and were placed, not inap- 
propriately, on the head of the Sacred Victim. 
Eastern thorns are described as being much 
larger than any known to us. A common sort, 
growing on the pliant branches of the Arabian 
Naba, were probably the thorns made use of at 
the Crucifixion : the leaf, too, of that tree bears 
a strong resemblance to ivy, with which kings 
and victors were formerly crowned. 



PILATE DECLARES THE INNOCENCE OF JESUS. 361 

Now when he [Pilate) was set down on the Judgment- f My righteous servant, 
seat to judge two robbers, who were executed the same day, ^HeTsjist. z ec h. ix. 9. 
his wife (4) sent a messenger in haste unto him, saying, -Certainly this was a 

1-17 7 • J Righteous Man. Luke 

Have thou nothing to do with the condemnation of that xxiii. 47. 
Just man ; f for I have suffered many things [much) in a 1 p e t. h. 22. * d n ° sia " 
dreamt this day because of him. Pilate, therefore, moved t J** nS i}^' ^\ Rigl " 
by this omen to further efforts on behalf of Jesus, went 

/ , . 17. 7 7 t- 777^ r s In a dream > ^ a 

forth again, and having ordered Jesus to be brought from the vision of the night, when 
common-hall in view of the people, saith unto them, Behold men, in sh^btrings upon 
I bring him forth to you, having scourged him, that ye may th * * ed > then 9 od °P en - 

0 7 a m u 7 J m J eth the ears of men, and 

know, and pause before proceeding further, that I find in seaieth their instruction. 

1 . £ •■ , 77 Job xxxiii. 15. 

him no tault at all. 1 thought it good to 

Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, tStlhT m g h God 
from which the blood trickled down over His face, and the hath wrought toward me. 
purple robe being still left in mockery upon Him. And Pilate, at rest in mine^ouse, ami 
appealing to their compassion at so piteous a spectacle, saith j 0 "™*" ^ s SelS P which 
unto them, Behold the man,— this supposed usurper of made me afraid; and ^ 
royalty! — be appeased with what he has already suffered, and the visions of my head 
When the chief-priests, therefore, and officers saw Him %™™t me ' Dan - iv ' 
thus exhibited, they feared the people might relent at the 
sight ; , and, forgetful of that decorum which their own dig- 
nity required, cried out vehemently, saying, Crucify him, 
crucify him! Pilate, perceiving that they were as inex- 
orable as ever, saith unto them, If ye will have it so, take 
ye him and crucify him at your own peril of the conse- u . 

J P T ~ , " ' , " . ' . , J . h He tnat blasphemeth 

quences, ior 1 nnd no fault in him, and cannot give sen- the name of the Lord, 

tence that it should be done. The Jews, fearing that Jesus S^j^ff t0 

would not be condemned as a rebel, and still anxious to force ■ l The Jews therefore 

the responsibility of His death on the governor, answered sought the more to kill 

, . TTr . 7 .7.77. Him, because He not only 

mm : — We cannot m any case condemn to death during had broken the Sabbath, 
the Feast; but we have a Divine Law, and by our Law, if J£ making 
not by the Roman, he ought certainly to die, h because he Himself ^equai with God. 
has been guilty of blasphemy, and even before our Council The High-priest asked 
made himself out to be the Son of God. 1 * S^to the cwftS 

When Pilate therefore heard that say ins, he was the So* of the Blessed? And 

; ° ; jesus said, I am. Mark 

more afraid (5) to deny their reouest ; for he well knew the xiv. 6i,62. 



( 4 ) His wife.] Her name was Claudia Procula, 
as appears from Ecclesiastical writers. This inci- 
dent serves to mark the period of the Crucifixion, 
and is a remarkable confirmation of the truth 
of the Sacred narrative ; for it was only in the 
reign of Tiberius that governors were permitted 
to take their wives into the provinces (Tacitus, 
Annal. 3). It would appear that the dream of 
Pilate's wife occurred in the early morning, and 
to such dreams more especially, the Romans, 
as well as other heathen, attached particular 
importance, for they regarded them as marked 
indications of the Divine will. 

(°) He was the more afraid.'] Tumults had 
before occurred under Pilate's government: 
once, when he attempted to bring the image of 
Ceesar into Jerusalem ; and again, when he would 
have supplied the city with water at the expense 



of the Sacred Treasury. But some have thought 
that the fears of Pilate lay in crucifying Jesus, 
rather than in denying the request of the Jews ; 
and that he was afraid to order the execution on 
these grounds: — Pilate had become impressed with 
a certain wonderful greatness about Jesus : he 
was much moved by His calmness during trial, by 
His refusal to propitiate His judges, His resig- 
nation and sublime deportment ; and he began 
to fear that if our Lord's pretensions were such as 
had been described, and if He had wrought any 
such miracles as had been asserted, He might 
after all be some demigod, who, after the warning 
sent to his wife, might take severe vengeance on 
him. It is well known that the Romans, and 
the heathen generally, believed in the existence 
of such beings, and also in their occasional ap- 
pearance on earth (Acts xiv. 11, 12). 



362 



PILATE AGAIN EXAMINES JESUS. 



k And David said unto obstinacy of the Jews in all matters that affected their 
art «i°ou? "And he 6 "?- religion: and so he went again into the Judgment-hall, and 

singer, 1 ™ * AmTekft* saith unto Jesus > TeU me trul V> whence art thou k {what is 

2 Sam. i. 13. thy origin) ? But Jesus gave him no answer— -for indeed 

i Who is that God that Pilate 9 s conscience was already sufficiently persuaded of His 

my^andsT 1 Dan. iiTisf innocence. Then saith Pilate unto Him, Speakest thou 

m There is no power not unto me ? knowest thou not that I have power to cru- 

htit of God : the powers c if v thee, 1 and have power to release thee ? Jesus answered 

that be are ordained of w 1 

God. Rom. xiii. i. rimx, 1 hou couldest have no power at all against Me, 
and Cometh 1 down ^hlm except it were given thee from above : m therefore he (the 
the Father. Jas. i. 17. High-priest) that delivered Me unto thee, and who professes 
n ^To him that knoweth to acknowledge that Heavenly authority, hath the greater sin. n 
not, to him it is sin. Jas. And from thenceforth Pilate, more convinced than ever 
iV * 17 ' of His innocence, sought earnestly to release Him: but the 

leaders of the Jews, intimating a threat of accusing the gover- 
nor to his jealous master, and returning to their first charge, 
cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not 
Ceesar's friend ; (6) for whosoever maketh himself a king 
» These ail do contrary speaketh in effect against Ceesar, 0 as not being our rightful 

to the decrees of Caesar, . -i TT i ,i p i i -i . • i 

saying that there is ano- sovereign. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he 
Acta xvtf 11 ?' ° ne JeSUS ' Drou g nt Jesus forth again, and sat down in the Judgment- 
seat, in a place, whence he before addressed the Jews, that 
is called the Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. (7) And 
it was the preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth 
hour : (8) and, before pronouncing sentence of condemnation, 
he saith unto the Jews, as a last appeal, Behold your 
King, — your Messiah, whom you so lately owned, and fol- 
lowed to the city in triumph ! But they still cried out, 
Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith 
unto them, Shall I crucify your King ? The chief-priests 
answered, We have no king but Caesar: Thus did they 
renounce their national faith in a Messiah, making use of a 
pretence to serve their wicked purpose ; for, in private, they 
maintained that their allegiance was not due to any earthly 
monarch. 

Now when Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, 
but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and, 
according to a custom of ancient times, washed his hands 



( 6 ) Thou art not Casar's friend.] This was a 
well-contrived and effective threat, for the reign- 
ing emperor, Tiberius, was of a remarkably jea- 
lous and suspicious temper. We learn from 
Suetonius, as well as Tacitus, that he was in the 
habit of punishing with death any offence that 
infringed upon his own dignity. — His jealousy 
would easily be roused on this occasion, as the 
Jews had repeatedly struggled under his yoke. 

( 7 ) In a place, called the Pavement, Sec.] See 
Section CXXV., Rote 2. 

( 8 ) About the sixth hour.] There is little 
doubt that this rendering is an error of number. 
It was the third hour according to the Jewish 
computation of time, and also according to St. 



Mark's express statement (ch. xv. 25). The 
error might easily have arisen thus : In ancient 
times all numbers were written not at length, 
but with numeral letters ; and in some early 
copies, the symbol for six might be substi- 
tuted for that which represents three, to which it 
bears much resemblance. Another mode of ex- 
plaining this difficulty (allowing the common text 
to be correct), is this : as the Jews divided their 
day from sun-rise to sun-set into four portions, 
and St. Mark states that " it was " already " the 
third hour," while St. John states that " it was 
about the sixth,' 1 '' the time of the Crucifixion 
would be before noon, consistently with both 
statements. 



PILATE YIELDS TO THE CLAMOUR OF THE JEWS, AND CONDEMNS JESUS. 363 



before the multitude, saying, I hereby declare that I am 
innocent of the blood P of this Just person : ( 9 ) see ye to 
the consequences ofit.^ Then answered all the people and 
said, His blood and the guilt of shedding it be on us, and 
on our children ! (10) And after this, Pilate, willing to 
content the people, and sacrificing at last his conscience 
to his fears, gave final Sentence that it should be as they 
required. And he released to them Barabbas,— him 
that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, — whom 
they had desired : and he delivered Jesus to their will to 
be crucified. And after that they had mocked Him, in the 
manner that the soldiers of Herod and Pilate had done 
already, they took the purple robe off from Him, as if to 
dethrone Him from His pretended kingdom, and put His 
own raiment again on Him, and led Him away with the 
Roman guard to crucify Him. 

SECTION CXXVII. 

Judas avows the innocence of his Master; and, having 
restored to the priests the wages of his iniquity, hangs 
himself in despair. 

Matt, xxvii. 3 — 10. 

THEN Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw 
that He was condemned, and had made no effort to 
escape death, repented himself (1) of his treachery, and 
brought back again his unlawful gains, even the thirty 



P And all the elders of 
that city, that are next 
unto the slain man, shall 
wash their hands and 
say, Our hands have not 
shed this blood, neither 
have our eyes seen it. 
Deut. xxi. 6, 7. 

I will wash mine hands 
in innocency. Ps. xxvi. 
6. 

1 Behold ye have filled 
Jerusalem with your doc- 
trine, and intend to bring 
this man's blood upon us. 
Acts v. 28. 



( 9 ) / am innocent of the blood of this Just 
person.] It is unprecedented in the "annals of 
mankind, that a person at the very time of 
being capitally condemned, should be declared 
innocent by the judge who passed sentence upon 
him : to which we may add, that our Saviour's 
innocence was also proclaimed by the person 
who betrayed Him, by one of those who suf- 
fered with Him, and by the officer who super- 
intended His execution. In particular, that so 
bad a man as Pilate should persevere so long in 
pleading for our Lord, can be attributed to nothing 
else than the over-ruling Providence of God ; 
which directed that His Son, at the same time 
that He suffered death for the sins of others, 
should, in the most public manner, and by inde- 
pendent evidence, be proclaimed altogether fault- 
less Himself. — The practice of formally cleans- 
ing the hands which had been polluted with 
blood, was observed among the Gentiles, as well 
as the Jews. Homer and Virgil represent their 
heroes as observing this practice on their return 
from battle, previous to their attending to sacred 
duties (II. vi. 266 ; JEn. ii. 719). 

( 10 ) His blood be on us and on our children.] 
Thus was the death of the Messiah made com- 
pletely a national act. The blood which was 
shed did indeed fall on them, but not with that 



effect for which it was mercifully shed — not to 
save them by its sprinkling, but sealing their 
condemnation. Vast numbers of them suffered 
the very same death before the walls of their 
city during the War, and the weight of that blood 
lies heavy on their dispersed and humiliated pos- 
terity even at this distant day. 

(!) Repented himself] That the repentance 
of Judas was true Repentance we are forbidden 
to hope, from what is elsewhere recorded by the 
Evangelists : by St. Matthew (xxvi. 24), that 
" it had good for him if he had not been born ;" 
by St. John (xvii. 12), that none of the Apostles 
were lost " but the son of perdition ; " and by St. 
Luke (Acts i. 25), that he went " to his own 
place." — His Repentance had some of the 
marks, but it wanted the complete reality of 
Christian Repentance. There was conviction of 
sin, confession, sorrow, self-condemnation, with 
anxiety to make restitution and counteract the 
effect of his crime ; yet all this was only the 
work of Natural Conscience, and did not spring 
from Grace. The crime itself was not repented 
of, and instead of being followed by Prayer, or 
by an application for pardon, it terminated in 
Despair. 



364 



JUDAS DECLARES THE INNOCENCE OF JESUS, AND HANGS HIMSELF. 



pieces of silver which he had received, to the chief-priests 
and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed 
the innocent blood. (2) And they said, What is that to us? 
see thou to that: thy regret altogether is thine own concern. 

And he cast down the pieces of silver before them in 
the Temple {the Sanctuary), and departed, and went and 
» Thou, o God, shait hanged himself a(3 > in despair. 
P*f . And the chief-priests took up the silver pieces and said, 

and deceitful men shah It is not lawful for us to put them again into the Treasury, 

not live out half their davs. 1 .. 1 • 

p s . iv. 23. ' because it is money given as the price 01 blood. And they 

took counsel together on the matter, and bought with them 
the field, called the potters field (4) {because a potter had 
used the clay, of which the soil was composed, for his wares), 
and allotted it to bury Jewish strangers in. Wherefore 
that field was afterwards called^ as it is unto this day, The 
»» That field is called, field of blood. b Then was fulfilled that which was spoken 

Lh^ZAs ?T££ b y Jerem y the prophet/ 5 ) saying, in the words recorded by 

The field of Wood. Acts ZechaHah, AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF 
SILVER, THE PRICE OF HlM THAT WAS SO Contemptuously 
VALUED, WHOM THEY OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL 
DID VALUE; AND GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER^S FIELD 

as the Lord appointed me {see Zech. xi. 13). 



( 2 ) I have betrayed the innocent blood.] This 
declaration by Judas of the innocence of Jesus is 
most important. He had been an eye-witness 
of his Master's miracles, and a companion of His 
private hours. If, then, there was any deceit 
in the Saviour's character or pretensions, Judas 
must have known it : and if the Truth had not 
been too strong for him, he would have been 
glad to impeach his former associates. — His tes- 
timony was not that of a partial friend, nor of an 
enemy insufficiently acquainted with Christ to 
give evidence, but of a traitor ; — of one who en- 
joyed all the advantages of a friend, and pos- 
sessed all the malice of an enemy. He is a 
Witness, no less powerful than the converted 
Paul, to the truth of Christianity. If he de- 
clared Jesus to be innocent, He must have 
been innocent ; His miracles were real mira- 
cles; His teaching was truly Divine; and His 
life was a perfect exemplification of His doc- 
trine. It is not impossible that so bad a man 
was permitted to be numbered among the Apos- 
tles, in order that we might be furnished with 
so very peculiar a confirmation of the truth of 
the Gospel, in addition to evidences of almost 
every other description. 

( 8 ) Hanged himself. ] This is not inconsistent 
with what is recorded of the death of Judas in 
the Book of Acts, viz., that he " fell headlong, 
burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels 
gushed out" (Acts i. 18). St. Matthew records 
the kind of death by which he sought destruc- 
tion ; and St- Luke, that by which he made his 
-final exit, and which was the event of the other : 
by the rope breaking, or in some manner giving 
way, he fell down, and, being ruptured by the 
fall, his bowels protruded. The wood of the Judas 
tree (traditionally so called) is remarkably brittle. 
— There might be a more than ordinary judgment 
in the shocking mode of the traitor's departure, 
as in the case of Herod Agrippa (Acts xii. 23). 



( 4 ) And bought with them the potter's field.] 
As executioners could not make offerings, so, by 
analogy, it seems that this money could not be laid 
out for strictly religious uses ; but wishing to spend 
it in some way that might appear charitable, the 
chief-priests bought this piece of ground for the 
burial of any foreign Jews who might die in the 
city. Having been dug for clay, it would be 
unfit for tillage, though good enough for this 
purpose : hence the smallness of the price. The 
Aceldama or " Field of blood" {still so called since 
the Evangelists wrote) continues to be a public 
burying-place; and a large chamber excavated in 
the rock remains the common charnel-house of 
the poor and unhonoured dead of Jerusalem. 

( 5 ) Spoken by Jeremy the Prophet.] The 
words do not occur in what we possess of the 
writings of Jeremiah, but the prophecy is found 
at Zechariah xi. 13. This has been accounted 
for in various ways : — As St. Matthew frequently 
omits the name of the prophet whom he happens 
to quote, the name of Jeremiah may have been 
erroneously inserted by some later pen ; or, as 
names were often contracted in writing, the 
alteration of the initial letter would cause the 
mistake. We need not wonder at occasional 
carelessness of transcribers in that early age, and 
when abbreviations were so commonly used. But 
it appears, yet further, that the words might be 
Jeremiah's, without their occurring in the Book 
that goes by his name : many of his words, not 
to be found there, are to be found in the Second 
Book of Maccabees ; and Jerome affirms that 
he read these very words in an Apocryphal book 
by him : thus they might be preserved till the 
time of Zechariah, who was accustomed so 
frequently to use his words, that the Jews said, 
the spirit of Jeremiah was in Zechariah, and that 
both made one prophet. 



365 



SECTION CXXVIII. 

Jesus is led away to Golgotha, in company with two robbers, 
to be crucified; and addresses some women of Jerusalem 
by the way. 

Matt, xxvii. 31—34. Mark xv. 20 — 23. Luke xxiii. 26 — 32. 
John xix. 16, 17. 

A ND they took Jesus, and led Him away to crucify a And He was num- 
j\. Him. And there were also two other, who were Tsa. m. 1%°*®"** 
malefactors, led with Him, a to be put to death. And He, b And Abraham took 
bearing, according to custom, the transverse beam of His ^ wood of ^ bumt - 

n yT p i n . /» . 7 .. 7 7 offering, and laid it upon 

Cross, 0 went forth c from the city, — for ivithm its bounds Isaac his son. Gen. xxii. 

no executions were permitted, — into a place which is called 6 ' 

in the Hebrew tongue Golgotha W (or, in the Latin, Calvary), J T ^ n ^fit^ 

that is to say, the place of a scull. cam P- Lev. xvi. 27. . 

And as they led Him away, and came out of the city, Jesus bo^Stfou^af^city^ 

sunk exhausted under His burden ; and they found a man of ^L'Xf he^ed 7*1 

Cyrene, d — Simon by name, (2) and the father of Alexander Kings xxi. is. 

i t-» r 7 777 ™ • • i Jesus also suffered with- 

and Kutus, e afterwards well knoivn as Christians, — who pas- out the gate. Heb. xhi. 
sed by ; for he was coming out of the country to attend the 12 * 
feast : and they laid hold upon him, and on him they laid that ah l^ cyrenl^ 12*J 
portion of 'the Cross, and compelled him to bear it after Jesus. io. 

And there followed Him a great company of people, g0 gue which is caiLJThe" 
and especially of women, which also with the natural ten- tff^CyfenSns^fa 
derness of their sex bewailed and lamented Him — many of vi - 9 - 
His oiun disciples being among them. But Jesus, who com- e Salute Rufus, chosen 
passionated their sorrows more than He considered His own, 
turning unto them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep 
not for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 
For, behold, the days of vengeance are coming, in the which 
they shall have cause to say, Blessed are the barren, and 
the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave 
suck ; for the most endearing ties shall be but an increase of 
sorrow, and mothers will behold their offspring torn from 
them and sold for slaves. So dreadful will be the calami- 



in the Lord. Rom. xvi 
13. 



( x ) Golgotha,] The original word was Gol- 
go/tha, the second I being afterwards omitted for 
euphony. It bears a strong resemblance to 
Gilgal (so named by Joshua, the temporal re- 
deemer and type of Christ, as the place where 
the Israelites were freed from bondage, Josh. v. 
9), and hence it has been thought to convey a 
prophetic sense. — The place was a sort of knoll 
or bluff point on a slope west of the city, the 
shape of which, somewhat resembling a head, has 
given rise to an idea that it therefore received its 
name, but it was more probably so railed from 
the sculls of persons who had been executed 
there. — When Christianity triumphed over Pa- 
ganism, the population gathered round this ve- 



nerated spot, and it is now not only within the 
walls, but the centre of the modern city. It 
forms a portion of the site of the magnificent 
"Church of the Holy Sepulchre." 

(f) A man ofCyrene, Simon by name, $e. ] This 
African Jew seems to have been impressed as a 
known disciple, or at least favourer of Christ. 
We may judge so from the kriown conversion of 
his two sons. St. Luke, writing for the Gentiles 
of Asia, only mentions Simon himself, who might 
be known to them ; but St. Mark, writing to 
the Romans, takes particular notice that he was 
the father of Alexander and Rufus, the latter of 
whom is saluted by Paul as a member of their 
Church (see in the Margin). 



366 



JESUS IS LED AWAY TO GOLGOTHA. 



t And they shall go ties of those days, that then, in the words of the prophet, 
Lnt into^hrcaves^fthe they shall begin to "say to the mountains, Fall on us; and 

and h for° tito^rfml t0 * he hiUs > C ° Ver US " f ( < H ° S ' X ' ^' F ° r tf ^ d ° theSe 

Majesty when He ariseth things in a green tree,? what shall be done in the dry ? h If 

earth Sha &a. ii e T9 bly the lam thus sorely afflicted, who am as unfitted for punishment 

g He shall be like a as ffreen wood is unfit for fuel — what shall be done to the 

tree planted by the rivers qwdty, who. like dry wood ready for burning, are ripe for 

of water, that bringeth u yi 9 y , v J * i ± i 

forth bis fruit in his sea- vengeance, and are fit only, as is the worthless trunk, to be 

son: his leaf, also, shall ##7 70 
not wither, and whatso- utterly COUSUmed ? 

& 17 3 ShaU Pr0S " All(i Whei1 Were C ° me t0 Ca ^ e( ^ GolgOtha, 

i am like a green olive they {the ivomen) charitably gave Him to drink (3) vinegar, 

tree in the house of God. . , , . „ n ■, n / j> 

P S< Hi. s. or sour wine, mingled with myrrh or gall {wormwood ) — a 

h His (the wicked mans) medicated draught, which was allowed to be administered for 

J^nch shall not be green, allaying the sense of pain, and which, as it contained spice of 
Every tree which bring- a poisonous quality, would hasten death : 1 but Jesus was re- 

h^n°do f w^afd°ca^mL S solved to suffer death in all its bitterness, and when He had 

the fire Matt iii. lo. : ust tasted thereof, He received it not, and would not drink. 

It judgment first begin J 7 
at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the Gospel of God ? 1 Pet. iv. 17. 

1 Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. Ps. lx. 3.— Give strong drink unto him that is ready 
to perish. Prov. xxxi. 6. 



SECTION CXXIX. 

The Crucifixion; and its attendant Circumstances. 

Matt, xxvii. 35 — 44. Mark xv. 24 — 32. Luke xxiii. 33—43. 
John xix. 18 — 27. 

AND it was the third hour [the hour of nine in the morn- 
ing) when they arrived at Golgotha, and there they 
crucified Him. (1 > And with Him they crucify two thieves 
[robbers), — the same malefactors who had been led out with 
Him, — the one on His right hand, and the other on His 
left : and thus was Jesus placed in the midst as though He 



( 3 ) They gave Him to drink, £c] The anodyne 
draught here spoken of stupified the sufferer, and 
Jewish women of rank were allowed to provide it 
on such occasions. We find the following in the 
Talmud : — Prodeunti adsupplicum capitis potium 
dederunt, granium thuris in poculo vini, ut tur- 
baretur intellectus ejus. There would at this 
time be some female disciples present who were 
in good circumstances, for they were able (as 
it subsequently appears) to purchase expensive 
drugs for our Lord's embalming. — In only tast- 
ing this cup, He had (as an old writer observes) 
the worst, without the best of it : He let no bit- 
ter cup pass Him untasted, when He made atone- 
ment for man's sinful tasting of the forbidden fruit. 

( x ) They crucified Him.} Crucifixion is spoken 
of in Egyptian, Grecian, and Carthaginian, as 
well as in Roman history ; but it was never em- 
ployed as a Jewish punishment. The Romans 
executed slaves in this manner, and it was 
deemed so disgraceful, that Cicero, enlarging on 



the crimes of Verres, describes his ordering the 
crucifixion of a Roman citizen as the highest 
conceivable enormity, and declares, that " no lan- 
guage is adequate to express the horror he feels 
at the infliction upon any such persons of this 
most shocking punishment" (in Verrem, lib. v. 
See also the Oration pro Rabirio). — It was the 
most cruel of punishments; and the Romans, 
when expressing the greatest degree of suffering, 
borrow from it the term, which we retain, 
excruciating. — Some crosses were of the form of 
an X, but the one used on the present occasion 
was in the form of a T, and not so lofty as is 
commonly supposed. Upon the transverse beam 
the arms were extended back in an unnatural 
position, and the hands nailed to it, causing ex- 
quisite pain from their many nerves and tendons. 
Thus suspended, the sufferer occasionally hung 
some days, till he perished through agony and 
gradual exhaustion. — The emperor Constantine 
abolished this punishment out of respect to the 
Saviour, and it has never been revived. 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 367 

had been the greatest criminal of the three. And the Scrip- 
ture was fulfilled, -which saith, "And He was numbered 
with the transgressors" (Isa. liii. 12). 

Then said Jesus, — putting up, in the very first moments 
of His anguish, a prayer in behalf of His enemies— Father, 
forgive them, 3 for they know not what they do, b nor a But I say unto you, 

7 • - • . 7 7 . 7 . . 7 Love your enemies, bless 

whom it is tney are dishonouring thus. them that curse you, do 

Then the four soldiers, who were employed immediately s°° d ^ d *pJ™ fofthem 
about the Cross, when they had crucified Jesus, took His which despitefuiiy use 
garments, and made of them four parts, to every soldier a Matt.'v. 4 ^ ersecute you ' 
part —casting lots upon them, what every man should take: do ^ d j^ e n d ^ 
and, as the executioners were entitled to all the apparel of loud voice > Lord > % not 

. \ this sin to their charge. 

the condemned, they took also His coat (His inner vest). Acts™, eo. 

Now the coat, — the gift probably of some pious female dis- i> They proceed from 

ciple, — was without seam, and of one piece like the vest- JJ^jf Me^'aith the 7 Lord! 

ment of the priests, being woven from the top throughout. Jei T £ se 3 ' thillgs will they 

They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, do, because they have not 

but cast lots for it, whose it shall be : and this was done MT^johnxvifs.™ D ° r 

that the Scripture spoken by the Prophet David might l^.^IS 8 ^^ 

be fulfilled, which saith, They parted My raiment thren, i wot that through 

ignorance ye did it, as 

AMONG THEM, AND FOR MY VESTURE THEY DID CAST did also your rulers. Acts 

lots (see Ps. xxii. 18). — These things therefore the sol- "*'xheythat dwell at Jeru- 

dierS did. salem, and their rulers, 

4 , , , TT . , 7 because they knew Him 

And sitting down, they watched Him there, lest not, desired Pilate that He 
any of His disciples should attempt to rescue Him. And, J^?, 28. shun " Act * 
according to the Roman custom, they set up over His head ^y^m^of 
the superscription of His accusation, written conspicuously would not have crucified 
as follows : — THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH, c 0 e r . £°a of Glory ' 1 
THE KING OF THE JEWS; which titular inscription, 
though it ivas supposed to set forth His pretended crime, 
declared a glorious truth concerning Him. And Pilate him- 
self wrote the title, and put it (caused it to be put) on the 
Cross. 

This title then read many of the Jews, for the place 
where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and that 
it might be generally understood, it was written in letters 
of Hebrew, or the vulgar tongue ; and of Greek, for the 
information of foreigners attending the Passover ; and of 
Latin, (2) which was the imperial language. Then the chief- 
priests of the Jews, unwilling that any idea of sovereignty 



( 2 ) In letters of Hebrew, and Greek, and 
Latin.] An inscription set up in the Temple, 
prohibiting strangers from intruding on its more 
sacred limits, was in like manner written in 
different languages. — A titular inscription on 
the Cross was a regular accompaniment of the 
Roman punishment ; and we find, in Dio (lib. 
54), an express mention of this circumstance in 
connection with the crucifixion of a Roman slave. 
The letters seem to have been engraved on a 
metal plate, in black characters on a white ground. 
The Evangelists mention the Title on our Lord's 



Cross differently, though all conclude it with the 
words "the King of the Jews." It is possible 
that Pilate slightly varied it in the three lan- 
guages : on which supposition St. Matthew would 
naturally give the tenour of the Hebrew inscrip- 
tion ; St. Mark of the Latin ; while St. Luke 
and St. John would retain the Greek. These 
two Evangelists also vary as to their form ; but 
St. John (who omits the words " This is " from 
the Title as given above) was present at the 
Cross, and has, therefore, probably preserved 
the more correct and exact inscription. 



368 



JESUS IS MOCKED DURING HIS SUFFERINGS ON THE CROSS. 



in Jesus should be entertained, said to Pilate, Write not, 
"The King of the Jews/ 5 for we all entirely repudiate His 
claims ; but rather write, that "He said, I am the King of 
the Jews." Pilate, declining to alter at their bidding ivhat 
he had thought it proper to do, answered them, What I 
have written, I have written, and thus it shall stand. 
<*• They stand staring And the people stood beholding c Him ivithout pity, as 

and looking upon Me. TT7 , . ., 77 . „ , 

Ps. sxii. 17. tie hung between earth and heaven — rejected J or a time both 

d ah they that see Me % ^od and man ! And they that passed by reviled Him, 

shoo? out t the 5 Hp '' they wa §S m § tne i r neads d in derision, and saying, Ah, thou 

shake the head. Ps. xxii. that destroyest the Temple and buildest it up again in three 

i hecame also a re- days, save thyself if thou art able, with all thy boasting; 

^^oked^upon^ and if tll0U be tlle S ° n ° f G ° d > COme d ° WI1 U0W fr0m the 

they . sha ^| d the ir heads. Cross. Likewise also the chief -priests and the rulers, with 
the Scribes and elders, forgetting even their official dignity 
in their inherent meanness of soul, derided Him in the midst 
of His agony ; and, mocking, said among themselves, He 
saved others forsooth ! you see he cannot save himself.— 
And then turning to Jesus, they added, so that He might 
hear the taunt, If he be indeed the Christ, — the Chosen of 
God and the King of Israel, — let him now come down from 
the Cross, and save himself, that we may see an undoubted 
proof of his power, and we will believe in him : When 
« Thinkest thou that I he was arrested in the Garden, "he trusted in God e as 
Father, and HeshaK pS willing to save him ; let Him deliver him now, if He will have 
sently give Me more than him » ff so delights in him ; Ps. xxii. 8) ; for he said, I 

twelve legions ot angels? Vt/ «* ' ' 7 7 

Matt. xxvi. 53. am the Son of God. Thus did these Jewish dignitaries 

profanely insult Him in the very language, which David, a 
thousand years before, had put into the mouths of the mur- 
derers of the Messiah. — And the soldiers also in their turn 
mocked Him, coming to Him, and, — under the pretence of 
giving Him refreshment, though in reality to prolong His 
sufferings, — offering Him vinegar, which, mixed with water, 
was their common beverage; and saying, as the rest had 
done, If thou be the King of the Jews, save thyself, before 
thou pretendest to exercise dominion over others. 

And one of the malefactors (3) also which were crucified 
[hanged, or suspended, Luke] with Him, cast the same in 
His teeth, and railed on Him, saying, If thou be the 
Christ, save thyself and us also with thee. But the other, 
answering with genuine faith and true repentance, — for he 
was at last awakened to the crimes of his past life, — rebuked 
him, saying, Dost thou not fear God at this awful mo- 
ment, seeing that thou art thyself in the same condem- 



( 3 ) One of the malefactors. ] St. Matthew says, 
"the thieves" reviled Him, thus putting the 
plural for the singular by what is termed an 
enallage of numbers. This occurs frequently. 
The following are instances : — " They brought 
the ass and the colt and set Him thereon," i. e. 



upon one of them (Matt. xxi. 7).— u The dis- 
ciples had indignation" (Matt. xxvi. 8) ; but only 
one of them exhibited any such feeling (J ohn xii. 
4). — These two men executed with our Lord 
were robbers, not thieves ; for what we call theft 
was not a capital crime among the Jews. 



THE PENITENT MALEFACTOR PARDONED FROM THE CROSS. 



369 



nation [sentenced to the same punishment) ? And we indeed 
justly suffer this sentence, for we receive only the due 
reward of our wicked deeds; but this Man hath done 
nothing amiss. And then he said reverentially and im- 
ploringly unto Jesus, Lord, remember me in mercy when 
Thou comest into Thy kingdom. And Jesus, knowing his 
sincerity, forgave his sins, as He was God, though dying 
as man ; and said unto him, Verily, I say unto thee, to-day 
shalt thou be with Me in Paradise, (4) — even in the blessed 
abode of those faithful spirits that depart hence in the Lord, 
Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, His mother/ 5 ^ 
and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas or 
Alpheus, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore, — 
now at the height of His sufferings, — saw His mother, and 
also the disciple John standing by, whom He especially 
loved, He saith unto His mother, Woman, behold thy 
son, and henceforth regard him as such. Then saith He 
to the disciple, Behold thy mother, and cherish her for 
My sake. And from that hour that disciple took her unto 
his own home, and maintained and solaced her as long 
as she lived. 



(*) To-day shalt thou he with Me in Paradise.] 
The pardon conveyed to the dying malefactor in 
these words must not be construed into an argu- 
ment for the efficacy of late Repentance in ordi- 
nary cases. If he did not repent before, which 
is possible (for he knew our Lord's history, and 
declared that He had done nothing amiss), yet his 
case is altogether extraordinary, and similar cir- 
cumstances can never occur again. Though he 
may not have fully understood the nature of the 
Messiah's spiritual kingdom, yet no one ever 
so improved a dying hour : — he had broken no 
covenants, and had not sinned against that light, 
to which all sinners who live under the Gospel 
dispensation now close their eyes ; his faith was of 
that saving kind, which would have expanded, 
had time allowed, into all the actions of a 
Christian life ; he confessed his vileness and the 
justice of his sentence ; he was anxious only for 
the salvation of his soul, and at the same time 
also for that of his fellow-criminal ; and he pro- 
fessed his faith in his divine Redeemer, when all 
others were silent or had forsaken Him: "with 
the heart he believed unto righteousness, and with 
his mouth (the only member now at his com- 
mand) he made confession unto salvation" (see 
Rom. x. 10). It was fit that the Cross of Christ 
should be distinguished by so signal an exhibition 



as this of its atoning power. The case may be 
recorded to show us, that we should not despair 
of any who will unreservedly throw themselves, 
even at the last extremity, on the Redeemer's 
mercy ; and that such awakened sinners should 
never despair of themselves. In this one instance 
only has God set close together an example of His 
justice and His mercy,— teaching us that we are 
to fear without despair, and to hope without pre- 
sumption. — With regard to the expression 
" Paradise " in this place, the word, in its origi- 
nal derivation, signified a pleasure -garden ; hence 
a place of enjoyment ; and so it came to be syno- 
nymous with Hades, or that Intermediate Place 
of rest, where the pious dead receive a foretaste 
of felicity, until, after the Day of Judgment, they 
are united again to their own bodies (see Section 
LXXXIX., Note 4). 

( 3 ) His mother. ] Mary, by her presence on 
this last most mournful occasion, completely ful- 
filled Simeon's prediction of her bitter sorrows 
(Luke ii. 34, 35). It is said that she lived 
with the beloved disciple in Judea for fifteen 
years after the Crucifixion. Joseph was no doubt 
dead before the event. — With regard to our 
Lord's seemingly-peculiar manner of addressing 
the Virgin, see Section XXI., Note 3. 



2 B 



370 



SECTION CXXX. 

The Death of Jesus; and the prodigies which ensued. 

Matt, xxvii. 45 — 56. Mark xv. 33 — 41. Luke xxiii. 44 — 49. 
John xix. 28—30. 



N' 



OW it was about the sixth hour {nearly noon), and 
from the sixth hour there was a supernatural dark- 
ness or thick gloom over all the land (1 ) of Judea until 
the ninth hour {the hour of three in the afternoon) : and 
the sun was darkened. And about the ninth hour, Jesus 
in the anguish of His spirit cried with a loud voice, saying, 
in the Hebrew tongue, those exact words which the Psalmist 
had predicted that He would use, Eloi, Eloi, lama 
sabacthani — that is to say, being interpreted, My God, 

a Behold, and see if My God, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN Me ? a {Ps. Xxii. 1). 

unto MyTOTrow^There 6 And some of them that stood by there, when they heard 
ed^M^^Ae day h of ffl ffis ^ na ^ n °t perfectly comprehending the words, said, Behold 
fierce anger. Lam. i. 12. this man calleth for Elias to come and help him. — After this, 
Jesus, knowing that all other things which He had to do and 
to suffer were now accomplished, that the Scripture might in 
b ™ iny thirst they this particular also be fulfilled, saith, I thirst b — a circum- 

gave Me vinegar to dnuk. • . ' 

Ps.ixix. 21. stance which would naturally arise out of His state of exces- 

sive pain. Now there was set there a vessel full of vinegar 
for the soldiers to drink ; and straightway one of them ran, 
and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it 
upon a reed {or stalk of hyssop), and put it to His mouth, 
and gave Him to drink. The rest said, Let him alone; let 
us see whether Elias will come to take him down and save 
him. 

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He 

said triumphantly, It is finished : the great work of human 
Redemption is at length accomplished ! And when He had 
cried again with a loud voice, that all might hear His dying 
declaration of confidence in His Father, He said, Father, 
« into Thine hand I into Thy hands I commend My spirit. 0 And having said 
xxxi? 1 ?. My Spuit Ps thus, (2) He submissively bowed His head upon His bosom, 
and peacefully gave up the ghost. 



( J ) Darkness over all the land.'] An extra- 
ordinary effulgence gave intelligence of the birth 
of Christ, and. a darkness, alike extraordinary, 
aptly notified that the Sun of Righteousness was 
about to withdraw His beams. — Although a Ro- 
man astronomer mentions a remarkable defection 
of the sun in the reign of Tiberius, and the same 
fact was recorded (as Tertullian states, Apol. 
cap. 21) in the Roman archives, this could not 
have been a total eclipse of the sun ; for it was 
now full-moon (when that phenomenon never 
occurs), and the duration of the darkness was too 
protracted for such a supposition. The gloom 



was, no doubt, supernatural ; and, without being so 
intense, it might resemble that produced in Egypt 
(Exod.x. 21 — 23). As that was confined to Egypt, 
so was this to Judea (for the expression " all the 
land " does not necessarily signify more) ; and 
there was a judgment in the wrath of God being 
peculiarly manifested on the offending country. 

( 2 ) And having said thus, ^c] The last 
words of the dying commonly meet with more 
than ordinary attention, and Scripture itself 
has placed a mark upon Last Words (2 Sam. 
xxiii. 1). Our Blessed Lord uttered Seven very 
memorable Sayings from the Cross, thus exer- 



THE PRODIGIES WHICH FOLLOWED THE SAVIOUR'S DEATH. 



371 



And behold the vail of the Temple, which divided the d The vail shall divide 

Sanctuary from the Holy of Holies % was rent in twain./ 3 )— Z? 7 p f™ anTtheM^t 

even in the midst, from the top to the bottom : thus to all Ho V- E»>d. xxvi. 33. 
future generations i( making manifest the way into the Ho- 
liest, by a new and living way ivhich He hath consecrated 
for us — through the vail, that is to say, His flesh " (Heb. * Thy dead men shall 
ix. 8; x. 19, 20).-And the earth did quake; and, in con- 

sequence of this terrible convulsion, the rocks were rent : (4) Isa - xxvi - 19 - 

, , , , 1 1 , n i Now is Christ risen 

and tne graves were opened; and many bodies or the from the dead, and he- 
saints, which had believed in Jesus, and lately slept, J£™ that slept. Co? 
arose, and came out of the graves after His Resurrection/ xv - 2( ?- _ 

° He is the first-born from 

and went into the Holy City, and, as an earnest of the the dead. Col. i. 1a 



cising together His priestly and prophetic offices 
— redeeming us by His blood and instructing 
us by His death. Forgiveness of enemies, a 
distinguishing feature of Christianity, occurs 
as the first of these Sayings : " Father, for- 
give them, for they know not what they do." 
Here our Lord exemplified His own admirable 
rule in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. v. 44) ; 
and the latter words further point out to us how 
greatly ignorance is the cause of enmity to Christ. 
— The second Saying conveys pardon to the 
Penitent Thief, implying the doctrine of the Im- 
mortality of the Soul, with a Future State of 
rewards and punishments ; and teaching us (as 
explained in the previous Section, see Note 4) 
the wide extent of the Divine Mercy even to late 
penitents in particular cases. — The third is ad- 
dressed to the beloved disciple : " Behold thy 
mother :" the duty of Obedience to parents is here 
exemplified — that leading commandment of the 
Second Table which our Lord had complied with 
from His earliest years (Luke ii. 51), and in ful- 
filling which to the last He proved that He par- 
took of all the sympathies and affections of man's 
nature. Those who neglect the relative duties of 
private life are here taught that there is some- 
thing wrong, when they make public duties an 
excuse for not discharging those which they so 
solemnly owe to the private ties of kindred. — 
The fourth Saying, containing the awful excla- 
mation of the Saviour, that God had forsaken 
Him, shows us how bitter was the Cup of the 
Father's wrath against Sin, and therefore against 
Him as our Surety (see Section CXXL, Note 
4, latter part) : here we are warned in the 
most impressive manner how hateful Sin is in 
its nature, and how certainly, after what has 
been done for us, a God of Justice will forsake 
all obstinate and wilful sinners. — The fifth 
Saying, " I thirst," was (as the Evangelist notes) 
a particular fulfilment of Prophecy, showing us 
the universal importance of that branch of evi- 
dence ; and as violent pain is accompanied by 
thirst, this circumstance is a proof of the agoni- 
zing bodily, as well as mental, pain endured by 
our Lord. — The sixth Saying, uttered just before 
death ensued, was an exclamation of triumph, 
" It is finished ! " The whole scheme of Re- 
demption, whether set forth by Type or Prophecy, 
had now received its completion. He was cru- 
cified at the Paschal feast, and breathed out 
His soul at the hour of Evening Sacrifice, with 
that minute ob-e: vance of what had been fore- 



shown, which caused Him afterwards to rest in 
the grave on the Jewish Sabbath, and to rise 
from the dead on the day when the Sheaf of first- 
fruits was waved. The righteousness of the Law 
was in every particular fulfilled. All that could 
be done for us, as far as Justification was con 
cerned, was at that moment done ; and all that 
thenceforth remained was the work of Sanctifi- 
cation to be wrought in us. — The seventh and 
last of the Last Sayings, — that with which our 
Lord breathed forth His soul upon the Cross — 
was simply an act of Faith, " Father, into Thy 
hands I commend My spirit." It was uttered 
aloud, that so all present might be convinced of 
His never-failing Trust in the Father ; and 
Christians are hereby taught (in the spirit of both 
Covenants) that, when the flesh faileth, God is 
still an everlasting portion to the believer, and 
that the soul is to be committed unto Him as unto 
a faithful Creator (see Ps. lxxiii, 26 ; 1 Pet. iv. 
19). 

(°) The vail of the Temple was rent in twain.] 
The rending of this vail signified, that " Christ 
having overcome the sharpness of death, the 
Kingdom of Heaven was thenceforth opened to 
all believers" by the rending of His flesh. 
The High-priest entered into the Holy of 
Holies, which this vail enclosed, only on one 
day in the year; but when our Great High- 
Priest entered into Heaven, cf which the Temple 
was typical, the Inner Sanctuary was thrown 
open, and God's mercy -seat could be approached 
at all times. The ceremonies of the Mosaic Law 
were thenceforth no longer binding on the disci- 
ples of Christ. 

The vail of the Temple is described as of pur- 
ple wool, richly embroidered, a foot in thickness, 
and sixty feet in length, reaching from the roof 
to the ground. Such a vail, we may imagine, 
must have been preter naturally rent ; and the 
Evangelist has expressly noticed its being rent 
"from the top to the bottom,'''' whereas a curtain, 
hanging at a door-way, would naturally be rent 
from the bottom upwards. 

( 4 ) The earth did quake, and the rocks rent.'] 
Of this miraculous earthquake vestiges still 
remain in immense fissures of the principal rock ; 
and these do not occur in its weakest parts, but 
cross the veins, attesting the violence of the 
rending. The conversion of an avowed deist 
who viewed these fissures, when travelling 
through Palestine, is upon record (see Fleming's 
Christol., vol. ii). 

2 B 2 



372 THE CENTURION CONFESSES THE INNOCENCE AND DIVINITY OF JESUS. 



General Resurrection, appeared unto many who had for- 
merly known them there. 

And when the centurion, which stood over against 
Him, saw what was done, and that He so cried out with 
i Every tongue should iirm reliance on God, and so peacefully gave up the ghost, 
rSrd^to^gior^of ne glorified God by confessing both the innocence and the 
Goethe Father. Phil. J)i v ' m ity of Jesus f saying, Certainly this was a Righteous 
Man this Man truly was, as He affirmed Himself to be, 

g — the Holy One and , , 0 r ^ , 

the Just. Acts iii. 14. the bon ol God. 

And they that were with him watching Jesus, saw the 
earthquake, and those things that were done; and they 
feared greatly, saying in like manner, Truly this was the 
Son of God. And all His acquaintance, and many women, 
who, when He was in Galilee, followed Him from place to 
*> And certain women place and ministered there unto Him h of their substance, 
cdied W Ma<Sne M ami sto °d a ^ ar Q %—for they were now forbidden to approach the 
many others which minis- Cross, — sorrowfully beholding these things : among which 
stance 1 . 0 ^uke ^a?™— 1 3." was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the 
less and of Joses, and Salome, the mother of Zebedee^s 
children, and many other women which followed Him 
from Galilee and came up with Him unto Jerusalem. 
And all the people that came together to that mournful 
sight, beholding the awful things which were done, — 
signs, as they now feared, of God's coming judgments upon 
their nation, — smote their breasts ^ with regret and self- 
reproach, and returned home. 



SECTION CXXXI. 

The Burial; and the making secure of the Sepulchre by the 
Chief-Priests and Romans. 

Matt, xxvii. 57—66. Mark xv. 42—4/. Luke xxiii. 50—56. 
John xix. 31—42. 



THE Jews therefore, because it was the preparation 
(that is, the day before the Sabbath), that the bodies 
should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath-day, — for 
that Sabbath-day was an high-day^ and a triple festival, — 
besought Pilate that their legs might be broken (2) , so as to 



( 5 ) Smote their breasts.'] A manifest change hi 
the conduct of the people is observable from the 
time that the fearful gloom came on. The taunts 
ceased during the three last hours; and it is 
probable they felt a certain misgiving as to our 
Lord's character, even if they did not view Him 
with incipient awe. Their convictions, which 
commenced with these prodigies, do not seem to 
have been temporary, for, only seven weeks after, 
we read of multitudes being converted during a 
single sermon by the preaching of Christ crucified 
(Acts ii. 36, 41). 



( 1 ) That Sabbath-day was an high-day.] Be- 
sides being the usual Sabbath, it was the Second 
day of Unleavened Bread, whence they reckoned 
to Pentecost (Lev. xxiii. 15) ; and also it was the 
great festival on which the people assembled in 
the Temple to offer the Sheaf of first-fruits. 

( 2 ) That their legs might be broken.] This 
very cruel operation was performed just above 
the ancle with an iron mallet ; and as the body 
was no longer supported from below, and was 
less capable of enduring such accumulated suffer- 
ing, death speedily ensued. 



VARIOUS SCRIPTURES ARE FULFILLED. 



373 



hasten their death, and that they might be taken away as 
the Jewish Law required? Then the four soldiers who 
were on guard came by order of the governor, and brake 
the legs of the first malefactor, and then of the other 
which was crucified with him. But when they came to 
Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they brake not 
His legs : but, to ensure His death, one of the soldiers with 
a spear pierced His side, and, the weapon having reached 
the region of the heart, forthwith came thereout blood and 
water b (3) : thus were the very fountains of life broken up, 
and a demonstration was given that the Saviour had a natural 
body like other men. 

And he {the beloved disciple) that stood by and saw it, 
bare this record of so memorable an event, and his record is 
true; and he knoweth (is conscious) that he saith true, c 
that ye might believe. And ivell may the record be be- 
lieved, for these things were done that the Scripture should 
be fulfilled, which saith of Him, the true Paschal Lamb, that 
a bone of Him shall not be broken. d (4) And again another 
Scripture saith, "They shall look on Him whom 
they pierced w e (see Zech. xii. 10). 

And now after this, when the even was come, behold, 
there came a rich man f ^ of Arimathea {which was a city 
of the Jews), named Joseph, an honourable counsellor (a 
person of condition and member of the Sanhedrim), and he 
was a good and a just man: the same had not consented 
to the deed and counsel of them who condemned Jesus ; but 
was one of those who, like Simeon, waited for the predicted 
Kingdom of God,£ being himself a disciple of Jesus, but 
hitherto secretly, for fear of offending the rulers of the 
Jews, his colleagues. This man,- — above all such false shame 



a If a man have com- 
mitted a sin worthy of 
death, and he be put to 
death, and thou hang him 
on a tree : his body shall 
not remain all night upou 
the tree, but thou shalt in 
any wise bury him that 
day. Deut. xxi. 22, 23 . 



b This is He that came 
by water and blood, even 
Jesus Christ ; not by 
water only, but by water 
and blood. 1 John v. 6. 

c I say the truth in 
Christ, I lie not, my con- 
science also bearing me 
witness. Rom. ix. 1. 

d — neither shall ye break 
a bone thereof. Exod. 
xii. 46. 

He keepeth all his 
bones ; not one of them is 
broken. Ps. xxxiv. 20. 

e Behold, He cometh 
with clouds, and every 
eye shall see Him, and 
they also which pierced 
Him. Rev. i. 7. 

f And He made His 
grave with the wicked 
and with the rich in Hi3 
death. Isa. liii. 9. 



S Behold there was a 
man in Jerusalem, whose 
name was Simeon; and 
the same man was just 
and devout, waiting for 
the consolation of Israel. 
Luke ii. 25. 



( 3 ) Came thereout blood and water.'] The an- 
cient fathers thought that St. John announced this 
fact with such particular emphasis, to confute 
the Docetse and others ; for Gnostic doctrines 
had met with great success in Asia, and of all 
the circumstances which attended the Cruci- 
fixion, none would be more conclusive than this, 
to establish the corporeal nature of Jesus. 
The weapon was the formidable Roman pilum, 
and the presence of water with the blood proved 
that the pericardium was pierced, and that death 
was certain — a fact which, no doubt, it was the 
object of the Evangelist to show. We may also 
suppose, from his solemnity of expression, that 
this circumstance was emblematical of something 
further, and that it conveyed a spiritual mean- 
ing: we find the Old Coyenant was confirmed 
by water mixed with blood (Heb. ix. 19), and 
so also, (as St. John afterwards tells us in his 
Epistle, 1 John v. 6) was the Covenant of the 
New Testament. The blood and water which 
flowed from the pierced side of the Redeemer, 
signified that two-fold salvation which He 
thereby wrought for believers, delivering them 
both from the guilt and from the dominion of 



sin : in other words, they are emblematical of 
Justification and Sanctification, of which the two 
great Ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's 
Supper are the signs, memorials, and pledges. To 
this incident of the Crucifixion our Church 
alludes in the Baptismal office (see the Prayer of 
Consecration). 

( 4 ) A bone of Him shall not be broken.] This 
command is quoted, to show us that the minutest 
points of the Ceremonial Law were previously 
contrived, in order to direct the spiritual wor- 
shipper to Christ. 

( 5 ) A rich man.] The circumstance of Joseph 
being wealthy would seem mentioned to show the 
fulfilment of Isaiah's prediction ; for that prophet 
had foretold events which appeared to be in- 
compatible, that the Messiah should suffer an 
ignominious death, and yet receive an honour- 
able interment (see in the Margin). It has been 
considered by the ablest Hebrew scholars, that 
the word " wicked" in that prophecy is in the 
dual number, and there is no doubt that " rich" 
is in the singular. Thus the death and burial of 
Jesus were events associated with two criminals 
and one rich man. 



3/4 JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA AND NICODEMUS BURY THE BODY OF JESUS. 



after the 'prodigies that had taken place, and animated by 
Ids veneration for the memory of Jesus,— went in boldly 
unto Pilate, and begged that he might be allowed to take 
away the body of Jesus, (6) that it might not be interred with 
the remains of the two malefactors. And Pilate marvelled 
if He were {thought it strange that He should be) already 
dead ; and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him 
whether He had been any while dead. And when he knew 
the certainty of it from the mouth of the centurion, who was 
appointed to guard the Cross and had witnessed the death 
of Jesus, Pilate gave Joseph leave, and at once commanded 
h There was a man of the body to be delivered to him. 
^us ris a ee rukT e of 5ne And therefore Joseph went without delay and bought 
Jews: the same came to fi ne l men anc l came, and with the help of his servants took 

Jesus by night. John / * , • • • 7 . T 

in. i, 2. down the body ot Jesus, and wrapped it m a winaing-sheet 

* ah Thy garments of clean linen cloth. And there came also Nicodemus, 
™^^y nrhandd0M - —the same which at the first came alone to Jesus by 
k And they laid Asa n i§ nt > b — and ^ w ^ n ^ ne ^ e generous eagerness to shew his 
in the bed which was reverence for Jesus, brought a costly mixture of myrrh and 
and^i^kin^rof^Ss aloes, 1 about an hundred pound in weight. (7) Then took 
SSS S ^Chron ^ey ^ e k°dy of Jesus, and wound it in wrappers of the 
xvi. 14. linen clothes with the spices, as is the manner of the J ews 

to bury. k 

Now in the vicinity of the place where He was crucified 
there was a garden : and in the garden there was a new sepul- 
chre, wherein was never man yet laid; (8) which he (Joseph) 
had caused to be hewn in stone out of a rock, so that it had 
but one entrance. There laid they Jesus therefore at once 
in this his own new tomb, because that day was the Jews 5 
preparation ; and the Sabbath, which commenced at six in 
the evening, drew on — for on this account dispatch was 
i And they said among needful, and the sepulchre was conveniently placed nigh at 
us away the stone from hand for the reception of the body. And, with the help of 
-to^lt^^^i his serm nts, he rolled a very great stone 1 to the door of the 
Mark xvi. 3, 4. sepulchre, and departed. 



( 6 ) Begged that he might take away the body 
of Jesus.] The Mosaic Law required that 
the bodies of persons who had been executed 
should be removed on the same day, and in or- 
dinary cases it was not the Roman practice to 
deny the rites of sepulture. Ulpian, " On the 
duties of a Pro-consul," states, that the bodies 
of executed malefactors ought to be given up to 
their relatives. Tiberius sometimes withheld that 
privilege, but both Tacitus and Suetonius repre- 
sent such an act as one of his uncommon 
cruelties. 

( 7 ) Myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound 
weight. ] The aloes here mentioned (and also at 
Ps. xlv. 8.) was not the drug now known under 
that name, but an aromatic gum. The quantity 
of spice provided on this occasion may appear very 
great, but the entire Sepulchre would be per- 
fumed, and a considerable part might be reserved I 



for the funeral, when it was usual to burn large 
quantities, especially when marked reverence 
was intended to be shown. At Herod's funeral 
five hundred servants followed, bearing spices 
and aromatics. — The remark, here added by St. 
John, "as the manner of the Jews is to bury," 
shows, that this Apostle addressed his Gospel to 
a people who were not Jews, for he would hardly 
have told his countrymen what their own custom 
was. 

( 8 ) Wherein was never man yet laid.] As no 
other body had ever been deposited in this tomb, 
there could be no doubt as to the identity of the 
person who rose again. — The remark which fol- 
lows, that the sepulchre was "hewn out of a rock," 
is equally important, for it could not be dug 
through, or approached in any other way than by 
its single entrance, which was guarded. 



THE SEPULCHRE IS MADE SECURE BY THE CHIEF-PRIESTS AND ROMANS. 375 

And Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, the mother of 
James the less and of Joses, beheld where He was laid, and 
remained until the Sabbath had commenced, sitting there over 

against the Sepulchre. — And the women also, which came m ^ J °s e ? h . com - 

o l • . . manded the physicians to 

with Him from Galilee and had attended the Crucifixion, emhaim his father, and 

followed after, and beheld the Sepulchre, and how His body ^^q^l^^ 

was laid : and then they returned to the city, and prepared n The seventh day ig 

spices and ointments for embalming Him ; m and having the sabbath of the lord 

r ^ * . thy God ; in it thou shalt 

completed the preparations in time, rested from their work not do any work. Exod. 
on the Sabbath-day according to the Commandment. 11 

Now the next day that followed the day of the prepa- ^T^ZTyZ 

ration, — when the sixth hour of evening had passed, and the sabbaths. Lev. xxhi. 32. 
Sabbath had commenced, 0 — the chief-priests and Pharisees 
came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that 

P A_S J0113.S W3.S thr66 

that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days days and three nights in 

I will rise again.? Command, therefore, that the Sepulchre & £f* ^ » tee 

be made sure until the third day/ 9 ) lest his disciples come Jays and three nights m 

J i i tt ^ e heart °* ^e earth. 

by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He Matt. xh. 40. 

is risen from the dead : so the last error {deceit, Git.) of his said es ™ t0 Destroy 

coming to life again shall be worse even than the first of this temple and in three 

*f v it ^ v days 1 will raise it up. 

his pretending to be the Messiah. Pilate saith unto them, But Be spake of the tem- 

Ye have already a watch, for you can take one from the ^19,21™ body ' Jolm 

company of soldiers set apart to protect your Temple during q ^ a gtone was 

the Feast: go your way, make it as sure as you can. brought and laid upon the 

a J J y J j , mouth of the den, and the 

So they went immediately ; and, having ascertained tnat king sealed it with his 

the body was actually there, made the Sepulchre sure— s^etoThisbrds^tthe 

sealing the stone <i( 10 ) with an official signet, and setting a purpose might not be 

0 ** / ^ < , changed concerning Da- 

watch of sixty Roman sentinels to guard its entrance. niei. Dan. vi. 17. 



( 9 ) Until the third day.~\ It is clear, from this 
remark of the Jews, that the declaration of our 
Lord concerning His rising " after three days," 
was synonymous with His rising " on the third 
day" (see Section XLVIIL, Note 4). From 
the case of Lazarus it appears that corruption 
was supposed to have taken place on the fourth 
day (see John xi. 39) ; a fact which shows the 
intimate correspondence of those two predictions, 
that our Lord's flesh should not see corruption, 
and, that He would rise from the dead within 
three days (see Ps. xvi. 10; John ii. 19, 21). 



Error, j This expression is from the Vulgate, 
a Version evidently much used by our Transla- 
tors, and the adherence to which has in several 
places injured the sense. The word, error, in 
English, suggests rather the idea of " mistake," 
and not of that which is intended, deceit or 
trick. Consult iEn. ii. 48. 

( 10 ) Sealing the stone.] It was the usage of 
the East to impress seals in clay; and a ligature, 
to which the seal would he attached, could con- 
nect the stone with the Sepulchre. 



SECTION CXXXIL 



The Resurrection. The first party of three women visit the 
Sepulchre, Peter and John following. Jesus appears to 
Mary Magdalene, and to her two companions. 

Matt, xxviii. 1—10. Mark xvi. 1—11. Johnny. 1 — 18. 

AND when the Sabbath was past [in the end of {or after) 
. the Sabbath. Matt.], and when it was noiv late in the 
evening of the second day, Mary Magdalene/ 1 ^ and the other 
Mary, the mother of James and Joses, and Salome, had 
brought sweet spices ready prepared, that they might come 
and anoint Him. (2) 

And very early in the morning, when it was as yet 
somewhat Hark— just as it began to dawn toward the first 
day of the week, — they came to see the Sepulchre ; and 
not knowing that a military guard had been, stationed there, 
they said among themselves on the way, Who shall roll 
us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre ? — for it 
was very great. 

And behold, while they were on their way, there was a 
great earthquake ; for the angel of the Lord had descended 
from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the 
door of the Sepulchre, and sat upon it. His countenance 
{His appearance) was like lightning, and his raiment was 
white as snow. And for fear of him the keepers of the 
Sepulchre did shake, — famed though the Roman sentinels 
were for their courage; and they became for awhile as 
dead men : and, when they recovered from the stroke, they 
fled. 

And they {the three women) came unto the Sepulchre at 
the rising of the sun. And when they looked, they saw 
that the stone was rolled away [taken away, John] . Then 
Mary Magdalene, not doubting but that the body was gone, 
runneth back to the city, and cometh to Simon Peter and 
to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto 
them, They have taken away the Lord out of the Sepulchre, 
and we know not where they have laid Him. 

And they (the two women who remained) entering 



(*) Mary Magdalene.] St. John, writing sub- 
sequently to Matthew and Mark, who name this 
Mary first with her companions, gives her name 
alone, but it does not follow that he meant to 
speak of her as going alone. In his account he 
states, that, upon running back to tell the dis- 
ciples, she said, li We know not where they have 
laid Him" (John xx. 2), but afterwards, when 
all left her, she says, " I know not where 
they have laid Him" (John xx. 13). — There are 
several variations between the Evangelists at this 
part of the Gospel narrative, but no contradic- 



tions : each recorded only what suited his par- 
ticular object in writing, and these minute dis- 
crepancies, instead of diminishing, increase the 
credibility of the writers, for they are a proof of 
their scrupulous accuracy. 

( 2 ) That they might come and anoint Him.'] 
This pious attention was not permitted to be 
accomplished, nor would it have been proper. 
Our Lord had in effect declared, six days 
before, when Mary, the sister of Lazarus, had 
anointed His body, that that was the unction 
which it should receive for the grave. 



AN ANGEL ANNOUNCES THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS. 



377 



into the Sepulchre, (3) saw one who appeared to them as a 
young man — no longer terrible to behold, as he had presented 
himself to the guard, but sitting with calm dignity on the 
right side of the chamber of the tomb, clothed in a long white 
garment. And when they saw him, they were affrighted. And 
the angel answered and said unto the women in gentle accents, 
Be not affrighted : fear not ye ; a they only who are enemies 
of the Lord should be dismayed: for I know that ye seek 
Jesus of Nazareth^ which was crucified : He is not here ; 
for He is risen, (4) as He said that He should;^ come, be- 
hold the place where the Lord lay [where they laid Him, 
Mark] . And go your way quickly, and tell His disciples, 
and also Peter ( % that He is risen from the dead: and 
behold, He goeth before you into Galilee, as He said unto 
you ; c there shall ye see Him. Lo, I have told you. 

And they went out quickly, struck with reverential fear, 
and also incited with great joy at these good tidings, and fled 
from the Sepulchre ; for they trembled and were amazed 
at what they had seen and heard: neither said they any 
thing to any man by the way, — for they were afraid {they 
had been too much alarmed) to stop and do so, — and did 
run forward to bring His disciples word. 

Peter therefore, and that other disciple whom Jesus 
loved, went forth, as soon as Mary Magdalene had told them 
that the body was removed, and came to the Sepulchre by a 
different route from that taken by the two women who were 
in search of them. So they ran with eagerness, both of 
them together: and the other disciple, being the younger, 
did outrun Peter, and came first to the Sepulchre; and he, 
stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes which 
had enveloped the body lying by themselves : yet went he 
not in. Then cometh up Simon Peter following him ; and 
he, with his accustomed ardour, went in at once into the 
Sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes d lie, and also the 



* And when Gideon 
perceived that he was an 
angel of the Lord, Gideon 
said, Alas ! O Lord God! 
for because I have seen 
an augel of the Lord face 
to face. And the Lord 
said unto him, Peace be 
unto thee, fear not. Judg. 
vi. 22, 23. 

And when Zacharias 
saw him, he was troubled, 
and fear fell upon him: 
but the angel said unto 
him, Fear not. Luke i. 
12, 13. 

b From that time forth 
began Jesus to show unto 
His disciples, how that 
He must go unto Jerusa- 
lem, and suffer many 
things of the elders and 
chief-priests and scribes, 
and be killed, and be 
raised again the third day. 
Matt. xvi. 21. 

c But after I am risen 
again, I will go before you 
into Galilee. Matt. xxvi. 
32. 



d Then took they the 
body of Jesus, and wound 
it in linen clothes. John 
xix. 40. 



( 3 ) Entering into the Sepulchre. ] The tomb 
consisted of two parts — 1st., "the Sepulchre" 
(/jLvrifieiov) or inner part, where the Body was 
deposited, and the entrance of which was closed 
with a large stone: 2ndly, "the Vestibule" 
(ratios) or outer chamber, into which the women 
had now entered. The two expressions are dis- 
tinguished in the Greek at Matt, xxvii. 60, 61. 

( 4 ) He is risen.] The Resurrection of the 
Saviour is the pledge and earnest of our own. It 
is the most glorious event of Christianity, and at 
the same time its grand evidence, because it sets 
God's seal to the reality of the Divine mission of 
His Son, and to the truth of His doctrine. St. 
Paul allows, that " if Christ be not risen, our faith 
is vain, and we are yet in our sins" (I Cor. xv. 
14, 17). It was this main point of faith which 
the Apostles were commissioned to teach and es- 
tablish in the Church of God ; and accordingly, 
when they preached "repentance to Israel and for- 



giveness of sins," it was in His name " whom God 
hath raised up" (Acts ii. 24; v. 31) : when they 
turned to the Gentiles, it was still with the offer 
of salvation through Him, whom " God raised 
up the third day, and showed Him openly to 
chosen witnesses, who did eat and drink with 
Him after He rose from the dead" (Acts x. 40, 
41). — In the first ages of the Church, Christians 
were accustomed to greet one another on the 
morning of Easter with this phrase, " The Lord 
is risen !*' 

( 5 ) Tell His disciples, a?id Peter.'] The interest- 
ing addition "and Peter," is noticed by St. Mark,, 
writing, no doubt, under the direction of Peter. 
To that Apostle in particular it was a most 
gracious and consoling message ; for, after his 
sad apostacy, he might well doubt whether he 
had not forfeited all right to be included under 
the title of "a disciple." 



378 



THE FIRST APPEARANCE TO MARY MAGDALENE. 



e And he that was dead napkin e that was ahout His head, not lying with the linen 
andfootwith grave clothes; clothes, but wrapped (rolled) together and laid carefully 

aw^wtth r S na P °Sn d aside in a P lace h Y itself 1 f rom which orderly arrangement 
John xi. 44. if was manifest that there had been no hasty or clandestine 

f He taught His disci, removal of the body. Then went in also that other disciple 
The Son rf^ls'dS which came first to the Sepulchre, and he also saw this, and 
vered into the hands of now fi rm iy believed : for as vet, notwithstanding the Lord's 

men, ana they shall kill 

Him; and after that He is repeated declaration, they knew not f the true import of the 
third day. 6 S But they un^ Scripture/ that He must rise again from the dead : they 
a^d st ^ere n °afraid to^sk had thought, in common with all other Jews, that the Messiah 
Him. Mark ix. 3i, 32. could not die, and regarded their Master's death as over- 

g Thou wilt not leave throwing rather than as confirming His title to that office. 
wilt ^ho^s^^Trine Then the two disciples went away again unto their 
tion 7 °Ps e x^i To C01TUP " own nome - But Mar Y Magdalene, who had returned with 

David spake of the re- them, stood without the inner cave wherein the body had 

surrection of Christ, that 7 . 7 7 , . 1 0 -i 

His soul was not left in tain, and remained at the Sepulchre, weeping. 

hell, neither His flesh did n ow w h en j esus was r j sen early on the first day of the 

see corruption. Acts n. J J 

31. week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene ^ — the same 

out of whom He had formerly cast seven devils. And as 
she now stood and wept, she stooped down and looked 
into the Sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white, sitting, 
the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the 
body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why 
weepest thou ? She saith unto them, Because they have 
taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have 
laid Him. — And when she had thus said, hearing some one 
move, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing by 
her, and knew not that it was Jesus, for her eyes were 
filled zoith tears. Jesus, revealing Himself to her by de- 
grees, that the surprise might not be too sudden, saith unto 
her, just as a stranger would, Woman, why weepest 
thou ? whom seekest thou ? She, supposing Him to be 
the gardener (the keeper of the garden), and conceiving 
that the thoughts of every one she met were engaged on 
the subject ivhich engrossed her own mind, saith unto 
Him, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where 
thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away for fitting 
burial, that He may trouble no one. Jesus saith unto 
j» He caiieth His own her, with marked emphasis and thrilling accent, yet in 
IS&ZKlS*. His u™ al affectionate manner, Mary!" She turned her- 
Johnx. 3, 4. se if a f the sound of that well-known voice, and saith 

unto Him, Rabboni (which is to say, My blessed Master) ! 



( 6 ) He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.] 
Thus was a woman rewarded with the first sight 
of the Risen Saviour, and His next appearance 
was vouchsafed to the two women who had been 
honoured with the first joyful intelligence of His 
Resurrection. It is but a just tribute to that 
sex to notice here the remarkable courage and 
generosity displayed by those pious women 
"whose praise is in the Gospel." They faith- 



fully attended our Blessed Lord during His life, 
ministering to Him of their substance : when at 
the last the Apostles deserted Him, they be- 
wailed His sufferings, and attended Him to 
Calvary : at the Sepulchre, as at the Cross, 
women were still found watchers, and desired 
to have paid their Lord the last pious offices of 
sepulture. 



THE APPEARANCE TO SALOME AND MARY THE MOTHER OF JAMES. 379 



1 Both He that sanc- 



go away, for if 
away, the Com- 
will not come unto 



And as she uttered this, she drew near to clasp His knees 
with adoration — desiring to assure herself that He was tifieth, and they who are 

,, ,, 7 7 7 . 7 » t • . i i sanctified, are all of one: 

there really and bodily present. Jesus saith unto her, for which cause He is not 
Touch Me not: be not impatient to satisfy thyself at once; ST^^uT ^ 
for I am not vet ascended (/ ascend not as yet finally) to . _ . 

J v •%. r k It is expedient for 

My Father, and time now presses: but go at once to My you that i 
brethren 1 ,— -for such do I still esteem them, — and say unto j or ^ T ™n\ 
them, I ascend, as I predicted, unto My Father and your ^ ; s ^iLi a^T^u 
Father, and to My God and your God; W and the promise John xvi. 7. 
of the Comforter^ shall assuredly be fulfilled. 

And accordingly Mary Magdalene went, and told the 
disciples that had been with Him during His ministry, as 
they mourned and wept, that she had seen the Lord, and 
that He had spoken these things unto her. And they, 
when they had so distinctly heard that He was alive, and 
had been seen of her, yet all of them, with the exception of 
John, believed it not. 

But the other two women, Mary, the mother of James 
and Joses, and Salome, were left on their way to bring the 
disciples word what the Angel had said : and as they went 
to tell His disciples, behold Jesus Himself met them, 
saying, All hail ! (Rejoice /) And they came and held Him 
by the feet, embracing them; and, convinced that it was 
indeed He, they worshipped Him. Then said Jesus unto 
them, Be not afraid : go on your way with the message 
which you have in charge : tell My brethren that they 1 After that I am risen, 

, . ~ ... . , . . r I will go before you into 

are to go into (jalilee, and there shall they see Me, as 1 Galilee. Markxiv. 28. 
declared unto them)- 



( 7 ) / ascend, <f-c] These words are a plain 
allusion to the Saviour's own words in His last 
consolatory discourse with the Eleven, in which 
He promised thein another Comforter on His 
Ascension to the Father. To that discourse none 
had been privy but themselves. The message 
also of the angel, presently confirmed by our Lord, 
repeated another assurance given on the same 
occasion, viz., that He "would go before them 
into Galilee." The disciples ought, therefore, to 
have been at once convinced. — The words " My 



God and your God," are intended to show (as 
St. Paul seems to intimate, Heb. ii. 11), that He 
had the same interest in their welfare as before, 
and that they were still united with Him by the 
same Spiritual and heavenly bond.- — He speaks 
of the Father as His God, because He is yet 
upon earth in bodily form as Mediator. The 
Psalmist, in consecutive sentences, addresses the 
Saviour as God, and yet speaks of the Father as 
His God (see Ps. xlv. 6, 7). 



380 



SECTION CXXXIII. 

The Roman guard report the fact of the Resurrection of 
Jesus, and are bribed by the chief-priests into silence. 

Matt, xxviii. 11 — 15. 

"VTOW when they {the women) were going on their way to 
li tell the disciples, behold, some of the watch, which 
had been set to guard the Sepulchre, came into the city to 
exculpate themselves by stating the facts as they occurred: 
and they shewed unto the chief-priests, — who, by permis- 
sion of the governor, had employed them in this matter, — all 
the things that were done. 

Now the chief-priests were greatly disconcerted at this 
startling intelligence, and when they were assembled with 
the elders, and had taken counsel with them as to what should 
be done, they gave a large sum of money unto the soldiers 
who had kept watch, saying to them, Say ye, His disciples 
came by night, and stole him away, while we slept. (1) 
And if this should come to the Governor's ears, we will 
persuade {conciliate) him, and secure you from harm. 

So they took the money, and did as they were taught ; 
and this saying (this fabrication about the stealing of the 
body) is commonly reported and credited among the J ews 
until this day. 



( l ) Say ye, His disciples came by night, (|-c.] A 
more futile, inconsistent, and improbable state- 
ment than this, it is difficult to imagine. The 
disciples were friendless and dispirited, and evi- 
dently in expectation of arrest themselves ; for 
when they met together, they fastened the door 
through fear (John xx. 19) : the time was the 
Passover, when the moon was at the full, and j 
the city crowded ; while the Sepulchre was but 
just without the walls, and open to observation. 
Was it likely that a Roman guard of sixty men 
(to whom the penalty of sleeping on their post i 
was death) would be all asleep, or so soundly 
asleep, that a body could be silently carried 
through their ranks ? — while, if they were awake, 
it is clear that they could neither be overpowered 



by persons so weak, nor bribed by those so poor. 
— J ustly, therefore, has an early Christian writer 
apostrophized them : " Ye wicked, corrupt, 
senseless wretches ; either ye were awake, or ye 
were asleep. If awake, it was your business to 
secure the Body from being stolen away ; if 
asleep, it was impossible you should either know 
what was done, or who were the persons that did 
it." — It is clear that the Council did not themselves 
believe the story, for when the Apostles, who 
were brought before them, repeatedly declared 
that God had raised that Jesus whom they had 
put to death (Acts iv. 10; v. 30), they did 
not venture to make the charge of stealing the 
Body. 



381 



SECTION CXXXIV. 

The women in a larger party visit the Sepulchre; and, upon 
their report, peter runs there a second time, alone. 

Luke xxiv. 1 — 12. 



NOW upon the first day of the week, and still very early 
in the morning, they (the women) who on the evening 
of the Crucifixion had "prepared spices and ointments and 
rested the Sabbath-day" (Lake xxiii. 56), and certain others 
with them, set out together from another part of the city; 
and they came unto the Sepulchre, 0 } bringing the spices 
which they had prepared. a And they found the stone 
rolled away, even as the first party of women had found it, 
from the entrance of the Sepulchre. And they entered 
in, and found not the body of the Lord J esus. 

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed 
thereabout, behold two angels, appearing in the form of men, 
stood by them in shining garments (garments which streamed 
out light, Gr.). And as they were afraid, and bowed down 
their faces reverentially to the earth, they (the angels) said 
unto them, Why seek ye the Living, — Him who u hath 
Life in Himself " {John v. 26), — among (in the place of) 
the dead ? He is not here, but is risen : remember how 
He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee, saying, 
The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful 
men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. b — And 
they remembered 0 that such were indeed His words on 
more than one occasion ; and returned from the Sepulchre, 
and told all these things unto the Eleven, and to all the 
rest of the disciples. 

Thus it was Joanna, d and Mary Magdalene, and Mary 
the mother of James and Joses, together with Salome, and 
other honourable and trustworthy women that had accom- 
panied Joanna to the Sepulchre, and were now with them in 
the city, which severally told these things unto the Apostles 
— all assuring them of the fact. And, nevertheless, their 
words seemed to the greater part of them as idle tales, — the 
mere delusions of weak imaginations, — and they believed 



8 And they returned 
and prepared spices and 
ointments, and rested the 
Sabbath-day according to 
the commandment. Luke 
xxiii. 56. 

b The Son of man shall 
be betrayed unto the chief 
priests and unto the 
scribes; and they shall 
condemn Him to death, 
and shall deliver Him to 
the Gentiles to mock and 
to scourge and to crucify 
Him. and the third day 
He shall rise again. Matt, 
xx. 18, 19. 

c Jesus said, Destroy 
this temple, and in three 
days I will raise it up. 
But He spake of the tem- 
ple of His body. When, 
therefore, He was risen 
from the dead, His disci- 
ples remembered that He 
had said this unto them : 
and they believed the 
Scripture, and the word 
which Jesus had said. 
John ii. 19, 21, 22 

d Joanna, the wife of 
Chuza, Herod's steward. 
Luke viii. 3. 



(*) They came unto the Sepulchre.] The most 
accurate plans of Jerusalem, compiled from an- 
cient documents, satisfactorily show that this 
second party of women might visit the Sepulchre 
at least an hour later than the two Marys and 
Salome, without encountering them either in 
going or returning. The house which Zebedee 
had in the city, where Salome would be with her 
son John and whence the two Marys would set 
out with her, stood near the city wall, and they 
would proceed through the adjoining gate, called 



the Dunghill-gate, direct to the Sepulchre. But 
Joanna, who led the second party, being the wife 
of Herod's steward, would most likely lodge in 
or near the palace of Plerod, which was situated 
to the north of the Temple ; and the direct 
way from that quarter of the city to the Sepul- 
chre would be through the gate of the Valley. 
This was quite a different road, and more than 
twice the distance which the other party had to 
traverse. 



382 



PETER REVISITS THE SEPULCHRE. 



them not. — So completely were the hopes of the disciples 
blasted, and such a severe blow had their Lord's Cmcifixion 
given to their faith. 

Then however arose Peter, stimulated by these fresh 
reports, and ran again unto the Sepulchre.^ And stoop- 
ing down to examine everything more intently, he be- 
held the linen clothes laid as before by themselves: and 
for a ivhile he remained there alone, meditating on these 
things; but not knowing what to think, he at length de- 
parted, wondering in himself at that which was come to 
pass. 



SECTION CXXXV. 

The appearance to the two disciples on their way to 

Emmaus. 



Mark xvi. 12. Luke xxiv. 13— -33, 



A : 



* XD behold, after that, two of them went that same 
day to a village called Emmaus, which was distant 
from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs (about seven 
miles). And He (the Lord) appeared unto them in another 
form (presenting a more glorified appearance), as they walked, 
and went into the country. 

And they talked together of all these things which had 
happened. And it came to pass that, while they com- 
a They that feared the muned together a and reasoned, Jesus Himself, overtaking 
lZiel? e JtL°Loll Mem as from the city, drew near, and went along the same 
hearkened and heard it, rou f e ^vith them. But they ', not sufficiently noticing their 

and a book of remem- . , , , . 

brance was written he- jellow-traveller, Jailed to recognise Jesus ; and so their eyes 
feared^tS Lord^and that ^"ere holden that they should not know Him. 
5ai g iii i6° n HiS name ' ^ J1 ^ m Wht continue their discourse on the 

subject nearest to their hearts, He said unto them, What 
manner of communications are these that ye have one to 
another, as ye walk and are so sad ? And the one of them 
whose name was Cleopas, (1) answering said unto Him, Art 



( 2 ) Then arose Peter, and ran unto the 
Sepulchre.] Here we find this Apostle, who 
had so grievously fallen by his desertion of His 
Master, a second time eagerly running to His 
tomb. It appears, from a subsequent part of 
the Narrative (Luke xxiv. 34), that his sincere 
repentance and awakened affection met with its 
due and a truly glorious reward : it pleased Christ 
on this same day to make a special appearance 
to him — the first, indeed, which seems to have 
been vouchsafed to any man. No particulars of 
the meeting are recorded, but the fact is con- 
firmed by St. Paul, who describes the Apostle 
under his corresponding name of Cephas (1 Cor. 
xv. 5). It appears to have taken place soon 



after the two disciples set out for Emmaus (as 
recorded in the next Section), for clearly they 
were not aware of it till their return. 



( : ) One of thein whose name tvas Chopas.] 
This was the husband of 3Iary (John xix. 25), 
sister to the Virgin, and thus father-in-law to 
two of the Apostles. Cleopas is supposed to be 
the same with Alpheus, the latter being his 
Greek name. Who the other disciple was, is not 
known ; but it could not have been an Apostle, 
for they returned to tell what had passed to the 
Eleven (Luke xxiv. 33). — The incident of these 
two disciples conversing upon religion, and " rea- 
soning together" on their journey, is encouraging 



THE APPEARANCE TO THE TWO DISCIPLES JOURNEYING TO EMMAUS. 383 



thou only {alone) such a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast b And there came a 
not known the things which are come to pass there in Jm^God/sayhii'' 'thaf "a 
these days ? And He said unto them, Of what things speak s reat pro i )het ? sen *P 

J , . . among us ; and that God 

you? And they said unto Him, The things concerning hath visited His people. 
Jesus of Nazareth, which was a Prophet mighty in deed U Th e n those men, when 
and word b [both in His miracles, and the Divine wisdom ^fcWesus 
with which He spake) before God and all the people : and This is of a truth that 

, i i it i tt- , Prophet that should come 

now the cniel-priests and our rulers delivered Him up to into the world. John vi. 
the Roman governor to be condemned to death, and have 14 j esus of Nazareth 
since crucified Him. But we, His disciples, trusted that it approved of Goo 
had been He, — even the long expected Messiah, — which and wonders anT^gns, 
should have redeemed Israel: 0 and beside all this, to-day J^e midst of you 7 Acts 
is the third day since these things were done, and it was on H - 22 - 
this very day that He declared He would rise from the dead. ^^^tTmlZ 
Yea, and certain women also of our company, which were al \ tbem that looked for 

i . f J ' redemption m Jerusalem. 

early at the sepulchre ivherein His Body was placed, made Luke ii. 36, 38. 

us astonished, before we left the city, by their report of what a y e are dull of hear- 

they themselves saw, and are ready to attest : and when Jj^ ^'o^fto he teT 

they found not His body there, they came to acquaint us ^hers ye have need that 

with the fact, saying also, that they had seen a vision of which b^the first prfnd- 

angels, which said that He was alive. And certain men gj^o^ofGod. 

also of them which were with us, — whose names are Peter _ A , , 

c And Paul reasoned 

and John, — went to the Sepulchre, and found that it was, as with them out of the 

, 77 ,7 7 , >i Scriptures, opening and 

to all the particular circumstances, even so as the women alleging, that Christ must 
had said : the body loas gone, and the funeral clothes tvere ^^^^^ 
left; but Him they saw not. A °Of XV h h's i f 

Then He said unto them, O fools (0, thoughtless that Prophets have enquired 
ye are) ! and slow of heart to believe all that the Prophets ; u h d 0 s ^ c p Sef T^e 
have so plainly spoken ! d Ought not the Christ, in accor- ^ at should come 

r* 7 „ °_ „ ' ' unto you : searching what, 

dance ivith the Sacred Oracles, to have suffered these very or what manner of time 
things which you describe, and so, by the path of mortal was^them 0 ^^ 
tribulation, to enter into His glory ? e — And then, beginning , whe ? it testified befor'e. 

J . . hand the sufienngs of 

at Moses/ by whom the First Promise had been recorded, and Christ, and the gioiy that 

inturn passing through all the Prophets,? He expounded unto io° il f ° n ° w ' 1 Pet * *" 

them in all the Scriptures, — in successive types and prophe- t T wm put enmity be _ 

cies, clearer and clearer, — the things concerning Himself. (2) tween th( f f nd ^ e 

3 ? ° ° man, and between thy 

seed and her seed : it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Gen. iii. 15. 

% — Him, of whom Moses in the Law, and the Prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth. John i. 45. — To Him 
give all the Prophets witness. Acts x. 43. — I continue unto this day witnessing both to small and great, 
saying none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come ; that Christ should suffer, 
and that he should He the first that should rise from the dead. Acts xxvi. 22. 23. 



to inquirers after Truth under all circumstances : 
while the disciples were searching for it, they 
found it, and " Jesus Himself drew near." 

( 2 ) He expounded unto them in all the Scrip- 
tures the things concerning Himself .~\ The follow- 
ing short parallel passages, relative to the atone- 
ment and death of the Saviour, (taken alternately 
from the Old and New Testaments, — the Pro- 
phetic and Historic writings) will verify this : — 

" He is despised and rejected of men " (Isa. 
liii. 3) : " The Son of man hath not where to lay 
His head " {Luke ix. 58). 

" He was wounded for our transgressions, He 



was bruised for our iniquities " (Isa. liii. 5) : 
"He was delivered for our offences; He gave 
Himself for our sins" (Rom. iv. 25 ; Gal. i. 4). 

" By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant 
justify many" (Isa. liii. 11): "By the righteous- 
ness of One, the free gift came upon all men to 
justification of life " (Rom. v. 18). 

" He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet 
He opened not his mouth" (Isa. liii. 7) : "Jesus 
held His peace " (Matt. xxvi. 63). 

"He had done no violence, neither was any deceit 
in His mouth" (Isa. liii. 9) : " He did no sin, nei- 
ther was guile found in His mouth" (1 Pet. ii. 22). 



384 JESUS IS RECOGNISED AT EMMAUS BY THE TWO DISCIPLES. 



h And Lot pressed up- 
on the angels greatly, and 
they turned in unto him, 
and entered into his house. 
Gen. xix. 3. 

And she hesought us, 
saying, Come unto my 
house, and abide there; 
and she constrained us. 
Acts xvi. 15. 



i And He took the 
loaves and gave thanks, 
and brake them, and gave 
to His disciples. Matt 
xv. 36. 



k My heart was hot 
within me : while I was 
musing, the fire burned, 
Ps. xxxix. 3. 

His Word was in mine 
heart, as a burning fire 
shut up in my bones. Jer. 
xx. 9. 

Is not My Word like 
as a fire ? saith the Lord. 
Jer. xxiii. 29. 



And now they drew nigh unto the village whither 
they went : and it appeared to them that He made a move- 
ment as though He would have gone further. But they, 
unwilling to lose so instructive a companion, constrained 11 
(pressed) Him to stay, saying, Abide with us at this place ; 
for it is drawing on toward evening, and the day is now 
far spent. And He consented, and went in to tarry with 
them. 

And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, 
that He,—- presiding as the master of the family, rather than 
occupying a place as the guest, — took up a loaf of bread, and 
blessed God over it, and brake it, and gave portions to 
them, as He had formerly been accustomed to do in their 
presence} Now the Lord's dignified manner of doing this 
made them observe Him more attentively ; and thus their 
eyes were opened, and to their astonishment and great joy 
they knew Him to be their Divine Master, And when they 
would have risen up to worship Him, He vanished out of 
their sight (3) (He ceased to be seen of them, Marg.). 

And they said one to another, Did not our heart glow 
with rapture, and seem to burn within us, k while He talked 
with us by the way, and while He so powerfully and con- 
vincingly opened to us the Scriptures ? — And, at once set- 



" Thou, Lord, shalt make His soul an offering 
for sin " (Isa. liii. 10) : "God made Him to be sin 
for us, who knew no sin " (2 Cor. v. 21). 

" He shall divide the spoil with the strong " 
(Isa. liii. 12): ''Having spoiled principalities 
and powers, He made a show of them openly, 
triumphing over them'''' {Col. ii. 15). 

" Rejoice, O daughter of Zion : behold, Thy 
King cometh unto thee, riding upon a colt, the 
foal of an ass" (Zech. ix. 9): " They set Jesus on 
the colt: and when He was come nigh, the whole 
multitude began to rejoice, saying, Blessed be the 
King tliat cometh in the name of the Lord {Luke 
xix. 35—38). 

" They weighed for My price thirty pieces of 
silver" (Zech. xi. 12) : " They covenanted with 
Judas for thirty pieces of silver " {Matt. xxvi. 
15). 

" I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheek 
to them that plucked off the hair ; I hid not My 
face from shame and spitting " (Isa. 1. 6) : 
" Then did they spit in His face, and buffeted 
Him; and others smote Him with the palms of 
their hands " {Matt. xxvi. 67). 

" They pierced My hands and My feet " (Ps. 
xxii. 16) : " They crucified Him'''' {John xix. 18). 

" He was numbered with the transgressors " 
(Isa. liii. 12) : " With Him they crucify two 
thieves " {Mark xv. 27). 

" They part My garments among them, and 
cast lots upon My vesture" (Ps. xxii. 18) : "They 
took His garments and made four parts, to every 
soldier a part; but cast lots for His coat " {John 
xix. 23, 24). 

" They gave Me also gall for My meat, and in 
My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink " (Ps. 



lxix. 21): "They gave Him vinegar to drink 
mingled with gall " {Matt, xxvii. 34). 

"He made His grave with the rich" (Isa. 
liii. 9) : " There came a rich man of Arimathea, 
named Joseph, and begged the body of Jesus, and 
laid it in his own new tomb " {Matt, xxvii. 57, 
58, 60). 

( 3 ) He vanished out of their sight.} It is sup- 
posed that our Lord's body underwent its change 
at His Resurrection. The corruptible had put 
on incormption, and the body, before so myste- 
riously united to the Divinity, was now also raised 
to immortality. The Saviour evidently had no 
longer any local residence on earth ; for the 
place of His abode for any single night is no 
where mentioned: He had become the inhabi- 
tant of another region, and His first message 
to the disciples by Mary Magdalene was, "I 
ascend to My Father." Whatever was before 
miraculous is now natural to Him : whatever 
was natural (such as His appearing visibly) now 
becomes the miracle. Although, previously, on 
some particular occasions, His own body had 
been the subject of His miraculous power, — as 
when He vanished suddenly from mortal sight, — 
yet other circumstances prove that it was then, in 
its natural constitution, the frail body of a man : 
it became no more changed, than other material 
objects, which were the subjects of His power, 
lost their nature. — The two disciples may not, 
on this occasion, have recognized Him at first 
in consequence of His glorified appearance. The 
scheme of Redemption seems to require, that 
before His Passion the form of the servant should 
predominate, but that, after His Resurrection, 
the form of the God should be conspicuous. 



THE TWO DISCIPLES RETURN; BUT THEIR REPORT IS NOT CREDITED. 385 



ting aside the business on which they had proceeded to 
Emmaus, they rose up the same hour, and returned to 
Jerusalem to inform their fellow disciples of all which had 
occurred. 



SECTION CXXXVI. 

The appearance to all the Apostles except Thomas, and 

to others. 

Mark xvi. 13, 14. Luke xxiv. 33 — 43. John xx. 19, 20. 



the two disciples returned from Emmaus to Jerusalem, 
after Jesus had appeared unto them; and they went 
and told it unto the residue, and found the Eleven (1 ) {the 
collected body of the Apostles, Thomas only being absent), 
and them that were with them, gathered together: and 
some of those assembled were eager to communicate their 
own good tidings, saying to the two disciples as they 
enteredfThe Lord is risen indeed, and hath also appeared 
to (has been seen by) Simon. a ^ 

And then they in their turn told what things were done 
in the way to Emmaus, and how He was known of them 
in the breaking of bread. But some of those present, who 
heard their statement, were still so incredulous that neither 
believed they them/ 3 ) And just afterward, even as they 
thus spake, He (the Lord) put an end to all their doubts, 
and appeared unto the Eleven as they sat at meat, in the 
manner now to be related — as attested by the beloved dis- 
ciple, an eye-witness of what took place on the occasion. 

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the 
week/ 4 ) which was the reason of their meeting together for 



* He rose again the 
third day according to the 
Scriptures : and He was 
seen of Cephas {i.e. Pe- 
ter), then of the Twelve. 
1 Cor. xv. 4, 5. 



Q) The Eleven.] Strictly speaking, there 
were only ten assembled, for Thomas was not 
present. But "the Eleven" would be the cor- 
rect title of the Apostolical College after the 
death of Judas ; and an assembly of them would 
go by that name, though one might happen to be 
absent. St. Paul, speaking of the appearance to 
Simon, which was subsequent to the death of 
Judas, says he was " then of the twelve." — It is 
usual with the best authors to speak technically 
in round numbers. Thus Xenophon calls the 
tyrants " the Thirty," after Critias and Hippo- 
machus had been killed (Hellen. II. iv. 24). 

( 2 ) Hath appeared to Simon.l See Section 
CXXXIV., Note 2. 

( 3 ) Neither believed they them.'] The conti- 
nued doubts of the disciples, — however blame- 
able in them, — serve as a confirmation of our 
faith. It is evident they were cautious men, 
who would not have suffered themselves to be 
imposed upon ; as well as honest men, who 
would not impose on others. 

(*) The first day of the week.] It would 



appear that the Sabbath had already been 
changed from the seventh day of the week to the 
first, probably under our Lord's own authority. 
We find the disciples again assembled together, 
and Jesus making another (His next) appearance, 
on the octave of His Resurrection. It was on 
a Lord's day that Jesus thought fit to display 
His glory to the beloved disciple in his banish- 
ment at Patmos (Rev. i. 10 — 13). — The First day 
has been since regularly observed as the Christian 
Sabbath (see Acts xx. 7 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 2). " This 
is," as the Psalmist prophesied, pre-eminently 
" the day which the Lord Jehovah hath made ;" 
and Christians should gratefully say, with David, 
" We will rejoice and be glad in it" (Ps. cxviii. 
24). It has been appropriately designated " The 
Lord's Day" (a term soon substituted for that of 
the First Day). Thus, superseding the seventh 
as the day of public worship and of rest from 
secular pursuits, it has fulfilled a memorable 
prediction of Isaiah, namely, that the New 
Creation (that is, the restoration of man to holi- 
ness and to the Divine image through the death 

2 C 



386 JESUS APPEARS TO ALL THE APOSTLES EXCEPT THOMAS. 



Lord by night opened the 
prison doors, and brought 
them forth. Acts v. 19 



religious as well as social communion ; when the doors of the 
house where the disciples were assembled were shut 
{fastened) for fear of the rulers of the Jews, came Jesus 
The angel of the Himself, — having, unperceived by them, miraculously opened, 
thedoors, h — and stood suddenly in the midst of them. 
And He saluteth and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 

But they, knowing with what care the doors had been 
secured from within, were terrified and affrighted, and sup- 
posed that they had seen a spirit ; for they were at a loss 
to conceive how any living and corporeal being could have 
entered, unperceived by them. 

And He upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness 
of heart, because they believed not them which had already 
seen Him after He was risen from the dead. And He 
said also unto them, Why are ye even now troubled {per- 
plexed), and why do doubtful thoughts arise in your hearts? 
Behold My pierced hands and My feet, and ascertain for 
c That which was from yourselves that it is I Myself ivho now speak to you : handle 

the beginning, which we n i 

have heard, which we Me and see ; c for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye 
whTch 6 we' " w U loS S ^ Me have.— And when He had thus spoken, He shewed 
upon and our hands have them His ivounded hands, and His feet, and His pierced 

handled, of the Word of ' tt> ' 

Life, i John i. i. side ; and He allowed all who would to touch Him. 

* i will see you again, Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord; d 
j^iL^Johnxl^ 1 re " f or > folding these evident proofs of His Resurrection, 

- tot. r j *. t^ e y assured themselves that it must be He. And while 

e W hen the Lord turn- . . 

ed again the captivity of they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, almost think- 

Zion, we were like them . 7 , . . 7 7 77 7 7 . 7 . n 7 

that dream. Ps.cxxvi.i. ing that it was a dream and could scarcely be the joyjul 
f Him God raised up ^ealitif, He said unto them, — the more effectually to con- 
the third day, and showed v ' mce them that He had a real body like unto their own, — 

Him openly, not to all -i 

the people, but unto wit- Have ye here any meat {food of any kind) ? And they 

nesses chosen before of tt- 7 , 7 /> , 7 • 7 r 

God ; even to us, who did g ave Him what remained oj their supper, namely, a piece 01 
eat and drink with Him a broiled fish, and part of an honey-comb. And He took 

after He rose from the . 

dead. Acts x. 40, 41. it, and did eat before them. f (5 ) 



and Resurrection of the Saviour) would be com- 
memorated in preference to that inferior work, 
the Creation of the material world (Isa. lxv. 
17, 18). 

( 5 ) And did eat before them.~\ Thus, as the 
fourth Article of our Church maintains, our 
Lord rose with the same body in which He was 
incarnate, " with flesh and bones, and all things 
pertaining to the perfection of man's nature." 
But although the same body, it would still be a 



glorified body, as our own are to be. The action 
of eating was merely performed to prove to the 
Apostles that He was their Master again in bodily 
form among them. — He withdrew Himself from 
them as soon as He had partaken of their meal. 
The immediate object of His visit was at- 
tained ; and it would seem not fit that He should 
be, as heretofore, frequently and familiarly in their 
society. 



387 



SECTION CXXXVII. 

The second appearance to the assembled Apostles^ and the 
incredulity and subsequent conviction of thomas on that 
occasion. 

John xx. 24—29. 

BUT Thomas, who had been originally appointed one 
of the Twelve, and who was called Didymus {or, 
the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came. The 
other disciples therefore said unto hinx, We have seen the 
Lord. But he would not be convinced, except by the 
evidence of his own senses, that they had, not beheld a spirit, 
and said unto them, Except I shall see in His hands the 
print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the 
nails, and thrust my hand into {place my hand upon) His 
wounded side, I will not believe/ 1} 

And after eight days again, on the next Lord's day, 
His disciples were assembled within as before: and Thomas 
was now with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being 
again securely shut, and stood in the midst of them, and 
saluting them said, Peace be unto you. Then saith He to 
Thomas, — offering him the very criterion which he had 
required, — Reach hither thy finger, and behold and exa- 
mine My hands ; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it 
into {place it upon) My side : and be not any longer faith- 
less {incredulous), but believing. And Thomas, perceiving 
that his Master was exactly aware of what he had said, and 
of his inmost thoughts, stayed not to make the proffered exa- 
mination, but answered with shame and said unto Him, My 
Lord, and My God ^ {Thou art " the Lord of me, and the God 
of me" Gr.). Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou 
hast seen Me, and hast had the evidence of thy senses in 
confirmation of the truth, thou hast at length believed : but 



(!) I will not believe.'] There seems to have 
been, on the part of Thomas, almost a kind 
of boasting of the strength of his understanding. 
Perhaps, too, he stood on what he might term 
his right — that the same favour of ocular de- 
monstration should be conceded to him as to the 
other ten. But whatever might be the motive 
of the incredulity of Thomas, it was based on 
the prejudices of his own mind. He demanded 
evidence of a particular kind, without weighing 
the evidence already before him ; and this he 
had no right to do : for if every man were to do 
the same, a general Revelation could never be. 
Further it should be considered, that Belief 
founded on ocular and undeniable evidence has 
little merit in it ; for it becomes an unavoidable 
act of the understanding, and one in which the 
heart may be totally uninterested. 



( a ) My Lord and My God.] The opposers of 
the Saviour's divinity have been driven to the 
miserable expedient of making these very plain 
words a mere exclamation of surprise, or, at most, 
of thanks ! Such an idiom, although known to 
some modern languages, is not to be found in 
any ancient ones, and certainly there is no in- 
stance of astonishment being so expressed by a 
Jew. The literal words are an address, which, 
though in the form of an exclamation, amount to 
a direct assertion of our Lord's proper Divinity. 
Although this was the most explicit confession 
from a disciple, and was addressed immediately 
to Himself, Jesus utters no rebuke, but plainly 
commends and receives it as an acknowledge- 
ment of conviction. 



2 C 2 



388 



JESUS DECLARES WHO ARE BLESSED. 



* We walk by faith, more blessed are they, now and in all future time, that have 
%lhft t 'the% C u°b r st a V nc 7 ; not seen Me, and yet have believed^ on the credible tes- 
of things hoped for, the timonv of faithful witnesses. 

evidence of things not v *> J J 

seen. Heb. xi. 1. — Whom, having not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye 
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 1 Pet. i. 8. 



SECTION CXXXVIII. 

Jesus shews Himself to a multitude of believers in Galilee; 
and again, to peter and others on the shore of the lake. 

Matt, xxviii. 16 — 20. John xxi. 1—24. 

THEN the Eleven disciples went away from Jerusalem 
into Galilee, where Jesus had appointed them a to 

Ga?iief° b Matt. xxvi.^S meet Him, into a mountain [called Mount Tabor), where 
them^Go ten My brethren 071 a f ormer occasion He had been transfigured. And as this 
that they go into Galilee, next memorable appearance was by promise, and there 

and there shall they see . . T „ _ 

Me. Matt, xxviii. io. were many disciples in iratuee, " He was seen of above jive 
hundred brethren at once" (1 Cor. xv. 6). And when they 
u mi ^ , , a (the Apostles) saw Him, thev worshipped ^ Him: but some 

b The Father loveth v * ' . , * J 11 . . 

the Son. and hath given of the other disciples who stood at a distance, doubted if it 
John S?35? to HlS hand were He ; and, to remove all doubt, Jesus came up nearer 
Thou hast put ail things to them, and spake unto them, saying, All power and 

in subjection under His 7 m x i • it, 

feet. Heb. ii. 8. authority is given unto Me m heaven and in earth ; b and, 

« ah the ends of the since I am the Head over all things in My kingdom, My disci- 
Sfof our Go'd.^is^in" P les need not doubt My full power to protect and guide them. 
10 - Go ye, therefore, and teach (make disciples of, or convert, 

Their sound went into { y . ' . . , . , V i. , 

all the earth, and their (jr.) all nation s, c baptizing them m the name or the 
Stori£ to Rom. e x d i S 8. 0f Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost W (i^o ft* 



( 3 ) Blessed are they that have not seen, <|-c.] 
This may be an allusion to the case of the beloved 
Apostle, who here simply records the Saviour's 
words, and who was the first that believed on 
entering the vacant Sepulchre (John xx. 8). 
But the promise of Blessing which the words 
convey, was no doubt mainly intended for the 
encouragement of all future believers, who could 
believe only upon testimony. Faith is not 
praiseworthy on account of its reception of that 
which it is impossible to doubt, but because it 
is the fruit of a willing heart, freely yielding its 
assent upon proper and sufficient arguments. 
The declaration of the Saviour on this occa- 
sion, may well check any repinings in the heart 
of those who would have delighted to have 
beheld Him in the flesh : they know that even 
that happiness is not denied ; it is only de- 
ferred until His Coming again, when all true 
believers shall enjoy it without interruption — 
when their faith shall be exchanged for perfect 
knowledge. 

(!) Worshipped.'] Out of sixty places in 
which this word occurs in the New Testa- 
ment, there are only two or three in which it 
clearly bears the inferior sense of civil respect, 



or homage due to persons of rank and dig- 
nity. Here, as in most other places, it is un- 
questionably to be understood of religious 
worship. 

( 2 ) Baptizing them in the name of the Father, 
<§•<;.] That is, baptizing them into the one true 
Religion, the characteristic tenet of which is 
belief in the existence, offices, and operations of 
the Holy Trinity — as Creator, Redeemer, and 
Sanctifier. That this is the sense, appears from 
St. Paul : the Jews, writes that Apostle, were 
" baptized unto Moses" (1 Cor. x. 2) ; that is, 
they acknowledged that system of religion which 
he taught : so again the Apostle asks, " Were ye 
baptized in the name of Paul?" (1 Cor. i. 13); 
that is, Were you devoted to Paul by this rite ? 
did you give yourselves away to him, and not 
rather to Christ ? — It is difficult to understand 
how any one can denominate himself a Christian, 
and refuse his assent to the truth of the Trinity. 
All the Catholic churches of Christendom, by 
whatever name they are called, and whatever 
their differences, have ever agreed on this one 
fundamental point, "that they worship one God in 
Trinity, and Trinity in Unity." — The earliest and 
more eminent of the Christian writers thus testify 
to the doctrine : — Clement, a. d. 61, writes to 



JESUS SHOWS HIMSELF AGAIN IN GALILEE. 



389 



belief of the ever-blessed Trinity) ; teaching them, in accor- 
dance with the Baptismal vow, to observe all things whatso- 
ever I have commanded you, as the duties of the Christian 
life : and, lo, by My Spirit, I am with you, and with your 
successors in the ministerial office, alway (all the days, 
Gr.), even unto the end of the world (3) and the final consum- 
mation of all things. Amen. 

After these things Jesus showed Himself d again that d Him God raised up 

. j* r\ v • i . , -i o f rp-L the third day, and shewed 

same evening to seven oj the disciples at the Sea ot 1 iberias Hiro ope niy. Acts x. 40. 
(or lake of Gennesareth) ; and on thiswise (after the manner 
following) shewed He Himself : — There were assembled 
together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and 
Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and James and John (the 
two sons of Zebedee), and two other of His disciples. Now 
as they had lost the protecting aid and counsel of their 
Divine Master, they had of late returned to their former 
industrious pursuits, working with their hands that they 
might not be burdensome to any. Simon Peter therefore 
saith unto them, I go a fishing (lam going to fish). They 
say unto him, We also ivill go with thee. Then they went 
forth, and entered into a ship immediately : and all that 
night they caught nothing. 

But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on 
the shore ; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 
Then, as they drew near to land, Jesus saith unto them, 
Children (Sirs, Marg.), have ye any meat (have ye caught 
any fish) for your morning meal ? — and this He said that 
He might draw from them an acknowledgment of their 
wants, before He supplied them by a manifestation of His 



the Corinthians, " Diligently attending to God's 
words, ye have embosomed them in your affec- 
tions, and His sufferings were before your eyes." 
— Ignatius, who suffered martyrdom, a. d. 107, 
says, "There is One Physician, fleshly and 
spiritual, made and not made, God Incarnate; 
both of Mary and of God, of the seed indeed of* 
David, but from the Holy Ghost." — Polycarp, 
who knew many that had seen Christ, prayed 
thus at his martyrdom : " I praise and bless 
Thee, O God, together with the Eternal and 
Heavenly Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son ; with 
whom, to Thee and the Holy Ghost, be glory 
both now and for evermore." — Justin Martyr, 
who wrote from a. d. 140 to 162, says that 
" Christ was from the beginning, and existeth for 
ever ; He is to be worshipped as God, and is 
God." — Theophilus, A. d. 180, who first employed 
the word " Trinity," says, " The Son and Holy 
Ghost are always present with God : by them 
and in them He made all things." — Irenceus, in 
his work against heresies, A. r>. 185, says, "Man 
was made after the image of the Uncreated God, 
the Father approving and commanding, the Son 
executing and creating, and the Holy Ghost 
supplying nourishment and increase." — And, to 
pass on to the year 200, Tertullian writes, " The 
Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy | 
Ghost is God; and each is God." 



( 3 ) I am with you alway, In our Lord's 

discourses, the Twelve are sometimes to be consi- 
dered exclusively as Apostles, in which character 
they had no successors ; sometimes as ministers 
of the Gospel ; and sometimes simply as disciples 
or private Christians. Here they seem to be 
addressed as ordinary ministers of the Christian 
religion ; and consequently, in this promise of 
assistance (though not of infallibility) our Lord 
spake through them to their successors in all time, 
— or " all the days," as the Original so emphati- 
cally expresses it. In any other sense He could 
not be with them " to the end of the world" — a 
phrase, the original of which some would trans- 
late " the end of the (Jewish) age," but which 
we find repeatedly and undeniably used by the 
Evangelist here employing it for the end and 
dissolution of all things (see Matt. v. 40, 49, and 
xiii. 39). 

It is an historical fact, that, since the days of 
the Apostles, the descent of the Christian priest- 
hood has been regularly preserved, and it can 
be satisfactorily traced. This the older Pres- 
byterian divines asserted as well as ourselves ; 
only they maintained that the Ministerial com- 
mission has descended through a succession of 
Presbyters, while we (with the testimony of all 
| history on our side) hold that it has come down 
1 to us through a line of Bishops. 



390 



THE SECOND MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES. 



power. They answered Him. No ; we have taken nothing. 
And He said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of 
the ship, and there ye shall find fish. They cast the net 
therefore — willing to try whether the stranger had conjec- 
tured right ; and now they were not able to draw it up 
into the boat for the multitude of fishes which it enclosed. 
« He said unto Simou, Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved. — -ever the 
draught 1 Audsfmon^ mosi observcmt and intelligent of them all. — struck with 
swering, said unto Him ffa resemblance of what had occurred to the first memo- 

Master, we have toiled all , , * m J 

the night and have taken rable miracle which he had witnessed^ saith unto Peter. It 

nothing: nevertheless at • , i T i i rr 7 7 7 ,7 • 

Thy word i will let down 1S the Lord ! He alone can have done this. 

the net. And when they Now wheR gi mon p eter h ear( l ffo remark of John, OJld 

had this done, tney en- * 7 

closed a great multitude perceived with what good reason he had supposed that it 
was the Lord, he girt his short fishers coat unto him, — for 
with the exception of his under garment, he was naked/ 3 ' — 
and did cast himself into the sea to swim ashore, that he 
might be the first to salute Jesus. — And the other disciples 
came on as fast as they could in a little ship (in the boat), — 
for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred 
cubits (not much further off than a hundred yards), — drag- 
ging the net, which they were unable as yet to raise, with 
the fishes in it. 

As soon as they were come up close to the land, they 
saw a fire of coals there, and fish already laid thereon, and 
bread — all which had been miraculously provided for their 
accommodation by the Lord. Jesus saith unto them. Bring 
some of the fish which ye have just now caught. Simon 
Peter then went up into the boat to help them, and drew 
the net to land, full of great fishes, an hundred and 
fifty and three : (4) and for all there were so many and that 
they were so large, yet was not the net broken (rent). 
JYJien the fish were all secured, Jesus saith unto them, 
Come and dine (eat). And none of the disciples durst ask 
Him, Who art Thou ? all of them ^//-knowing that it was 
the Lord. Jesus then cometh to the chief place as Master 
of the feast, and taketh bread, and having given thanks 
after His accustomed manner, giveth them some, and fish 
likewise. 



( 3 ) For he was naked.] See Section CXXIL, 
Note 7. 

( 4 ) An hundred and fifty and three.] This 
is stated to be the number of the species of fish 
then known to naturalists, and Oppian, in bis 
poem on Fishing, is quoted in support of this 
fact; but it can scarcely have determined (as 
some tliink) the number now caught. A fish, called 
the Charmud or Karmud, often weighing thirty 
pounds, is still taken by the Arabs in the Lake. — 
The remarkable success of the disciples on this 
occasion, as at the commencement of our Lord's 



those of all nations, ranks, and characters. The 
two miracles now wrought (for the meal 
was miraculously provided) seem also symbo- 
lically to teach, that Jesus, as He has the 
power, so He has the will to provide for the com- 
fortable subsistence of His disciples, and is in- 
terested in all their circumstances and wants ; 
justifying St. Paul's assurance that, as our God 
will supply all our need, we should not be solici- 
tous about anything earthly (Phil. iv. 6, 19). The 
sale of the fish taken on this occasion would pro- 
vide the Apostles with necessaries, so long as they 



Ministry, would seem to intimate that in their continued in Galilee, without diverting their minds 
character of e * fishers of men," they should sue- J from the great events which were taking place 
cessfully bring within the net of the Gospel 1 and the instruction which they had to receive. 



PETER THRICE DECLARES HIS LOVE FOR JESUS. 



391 



This is now the third time (5 - (the third day) that Jesus 
shewed Himself to any number of His disciples, after that 
He was risen from the dead. 

So when they had dined (had finished their meal), Jesus 
saith to Simon Peter, whose denial of his Master required 
a special notice, — yet, in His address to the fallen Apostle, 
omitting the latter appellation which he did not deserve to 
retain, — Simon, son of Jonas, thou who didst make such 
eager professions of thy fidelity? lovest thou Me more than 
these thy companions do ? But Peter, now humbled by 
his fall, was no longer boastful of the excess of his zeal 
over that of others ; and he simply saith unto Him, Yea, 
Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee! He saith unto 
him, Then feed My lambs : s shew thy love by providing 
the little ones of My flock with fitting nourishment, and let 
the remembrance of thine own weakness teach thee to regard 
and watch over the humblest of those who believe in Me. — 
He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of 
Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, as before, 
Yea Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto 
him, Then feed My sheep : h tend also those who have been 
trained up in the right paths, that they wander not from 
the fold. — He saith unto him the third time, — that his 
having thrice denied his Master might thus be cancelled by a 
threefold confession, — Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? 
Peter was grieved and mortified because He said unto him 
the third time, Lovest thou Me ? And he said unto Him, 
Lord, Thou art Omniscient and knowest all things : 1 Thou, 
who canst look into the heart , knowest well that I love Thee. 
Jesus saith unto him, Then feed all My sheep : k for love 
to Me and regard to My honour is the great qualification 
of My ministers ; and the surest and fittest evidence of that 
love is the ivatchful guardianship of all the flock committed 
to their charge. 

And now, having reinstated Peter in his Apostleship, — 
for he had virtually abdicated it by his denial, — His Master 
warned him, that he ivould be summoned to manifest his 
love, not only by labours in the cause of the Gospel, but by 
martyrdom : — Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Peter, When 
thou wast young, and active, and at liberty, thou girdedst 



f Peter answered and 
said unto Him, Though all 
men shall be offended be- 
cause of Thee, yet will I 
never be offended. Matt, 
xxvi. 33. 

And he said unto Him, 
Lord, I am ready to go 
with Thee both unto pri- 
son and to death. Luke 
xxii. 33. 

s He shall feed His 
flock like a shepherd: 
He shall gather the lambs 
with His arm, and carry 
them in His bosom. Isa 
xl. 11. 

h — pastors, which shall 
feed you with know- 
ledge and understanding. 
Jer. iii. 15. 

1 Thou, even Thou 
only, knowest the hearts 
of all the children of men 
1 Kings viii. 39. 

I, the Lord, search the 
heart. Jer. xvii. 10. 

He knew all men, and 
needed not that any should 
testify of man, ibr He 
knew what was in man. 
John ii. 24, 25. 

Thou knowest all things. 
John xvi. 30. 

k Take heed, therefore, 
unto all the flock over the 
which the Holy Ghost 
hath made you overseers, 
to feed the Church of God 
which He hath purchase l 
with His own blood. Act> 
xx. 2S. 

Feed the flock of Go I 
which is among you, tak- 
ing the oversight thereof, 
not by constraint but wil- 
lingly ; not for filthy lucre, 
but of a ready mind. 1 Pet. 



( 5 ) The third time.] This was strictly the 
third time as here recorded by St. John ; but, 
as our Lord had appeared six times previous to 
this, we must understand the words with some 
limitation, as applying either to the third appear- 
ance to the disciples collectively, which this was ; 
or, to the third day of His showing Himself, for 
five appearances had taken place on the first day 
of His Resurrection, and another on the eighth. 
— The two appearances here in Galilee, and a fur- 
ther one when our Lord ascended at Jerusalem, 



make up all that are recorded in the Gospels; 
but St. Paul is our authority for another ap- 
pearance to James (1 Cor. xv. 7), making ten 
in all previous to the Ascension. St. Luke sub- 
sequently records (Acts ix. 3 — 5) a special ap- 
pearance to St. Paul; which that Apostle himself 
confirms (1 Cor. xv. 8). The only remaining 
appearances on record are those to the first 
martyr Stephen (Acts vii. ,55), and to the beloved 
Apostle at Patmos (Rev. i. 13). 



392 



THE CRUCIFIXION OF PETER IS PREDICTED. 



thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest ; but when thou 
shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands upon a cross 
as thy Master has done, and another shall gird thee, a help- 
less prisoner, and carry thee whither, according to natural 
inclinations, thou wouldest not go. — This spake He to Peter, 
i Jesus answered Peter, signifying by what kind of death he should glorify God 1(6 > 

Whither I go, thou canst . & J & 3 / tt r j i 

not follow Me now : but in confirmation of the faith. — And when He had spoken 

wr£ ^nSif It this J He T0Se U P t0 WCtlk > a7ld Saith Unt0 him ? F ° U0W Me > 

shortly i must put off an d s / l0W nQW f nv wilUnqness to do as I do in all thinqs — 

this my tabernacle, even 17 " . Tin 77 j 

as our"Lord Jesus Christ even to die upon a Cross. 1 hen Peter immediately followed 
nath shewed me. 2 Pet. in ^ e direction his Master had taken, but turning about, on 
hearing the steps of a third person behind him, seeth the 
disciple following whom Jesus loved, — which also leaned 
on His breast at the paschal Supper and said on that 
occasion, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? for 
John, although not summoned, vjas equally ready to prove 
his love by martyrdom, and had ventured thus expressively 
to shew it. Peter seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and 
what shall this man do [what is to become of him) ? shall 
» Then said one unto ne f 00 su ff ev thus for the Faith ? Jesus saith unto him, — 

Him, Lord, are there few 77 . . 7 • 7 7- 7 j 

^hat be saved? Aud He gently rebuking this curiosity on a matter which aid not 
^ d, Sr^te! ter Luke concern his own duty—li I will that he tarry on earth 
xiii. 23,24." t [\i i C ome, what is that to thee ? m Follow thou Me. 

Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that 
that disciple should not die : yet Jesus said not unto him 
(Peter), He shall not die ; but He simply said, If I will that 
he tarry till I come (7) {intending, until He came to execute 
vengeance on the Jews), what is that to thee ? — This is the 
same disciple which here testifieth of these things, and 
» His record is tme, wro t e these things : and we know (8) (it is well known and 

and he knoweth that he . . . , . 

saith true. John xix. 35. acknowledged) that his testimony is true 11 , being a declara- 

Ye know that our re- , . /> . , _» • 77 n . 

cord is true. 3 John 12. turn of incontrovertible facts. 



( 6 ) By what death he should glorify God. ] A 
magnificent title of martyrdom, which was accom- 
plished about forty years after at Rome in the 
reign of Nero (see Euseb. Hist. ii. 25 ; Tertull. 
Prescript, c. 36). St. John, who wrote subse- 
quently to the crucifixion of Peter, understood 
these words of Jesus by their fulfilment. Peter 
was crucified, it is stated, with his head down- 
wards, thinking himself unworthy to die exactly 
as his Master had died, after his denial of Him. 
Our Lord, alluding to the girding or binding 
him for execution, may have spoken, according 
to His custom, from what was taking place 
before Him; for Peter, who had "girt his fisher's 
coat unto him" to leap into the water, might now 
be in the act of again girding on his dry clothes. 
The " carrying' 1 '' about spoken of in the predic- 
tion, is supposed to be an allusion to the leading 



the condemned about the city, as it was custo- 
mary to do at Rome. 

( 7 ) That he tarry till I come. ] All the Apos- 
tles were dead, except St. John, before the 
destruction of Jerusalem, — " the Coming " 
which is here referred to. He was one of that 
generation which should not pass till the decla- 
rations of the Lord's Coming in vengeance were 
all fulfilled. He beheld the Vineyard taken 
from the wicked husbandmen and given to others, 
and lived a sufficient time to see the Kingdom 
established " with power." 

( 8 ) We know, <§-c] It has been supposed, 
from this expression, that St. John did not con- 
clude his own Gospel, but such was a common 
way of speaking according to the Chaldee dialect. 
So St. Paul says, " We know that the Law is 
spiritual" (Rom. vii. 14). 



393 



SECTION CXXXIX. 
Final instructions are given to the Eleven at Jerusalem. 
Mark xvi. 15 — 18. Luke xxiv. 44—49. John xx. 21 — 23. 

A ND the Apostles went up to Jerusalem, to attend the 

approaching feast of Pentecost ; and Jesus appeared a Then He toot 
there unto them, and said, These are the words which I the 4 Twelv |; , a {\ d 

' 7 said unto them, Behold, 

spake unto you while I was yet with you, a That all things we go up to Jerusalem, 

must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses, Written 1 by "the Prophets 

and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms,^ concerning Me. ^ e ™ h n a g u th b e e S ™ C om- 

Then opened He their understanding, that they might piished. Luke xvtii. si. 

understand the Scriptures — removing all their prejudices, b Those things which 

7, . . 7 . 7 7 . . 7 7, 7 »• /> tt' God before had showed 

ana clearing up their doubts, through the operation oj His by ^ e mont h of ail His 
Spirit on their minds : and He said unto them, Thus it is Kw^uffefiie bSfso 
written, and thus it behoved the Christ to suffer, and to fulfilled. Acts in. 18. 
rise from the dead b the third day; and that the doctrines them out of the Scriptures 
of Repentance 0 and Remission of sins d should be preached Sifmust^e^htve 
in His name amono; all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, suffered, and risen again 

4 i 7 w- *\ o i i • 7-7 from the dead. Acts xvn : 

And ye are to be W ltnesses > or these things e which ye 2, 3. 

c The times of ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men every-where to repent. Acts xvii. 30. 

•* Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgive 
ness of sins. Acts xiii. 38. — I write unto you, little children, because your sin3 are forgiven you for His name's 
sake. 1 John ii. 12. 

e Ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning. John xv. 27. 



( x ) In the Law of Moses, and in the Prophets, 
and in the Psalms. ] St. Luke here signifies to 
the unlearned Gentile the different classes of 
writings which were comprehended in the Scrip- 
tures of the Old Testament. That this division 
of the Sacred Books was usual in our Lord's time, 
appears from Josephus, who says, "We have only 
twenty-two divine books : of which five are the 
books of Moses, thirteen are the writings of the 
Prophets, and four contain Hymns to God and 
documents of life" (Contra Apion). In these 
" Hymns" the Psalms had always the first place. 

( 2 ) Ye are Witnesses.'] It was important 
that the Witnesses of our Lord's Resurrection 
should have been eye-witnesses of its truth. So 
important did the Apostles themselves deem this 
qualification, that when they assembled, soon 
after the Ascension, to fill up the vacancy occa- 
sioned by the death of the traitor Judas, the 
ability to give personal testimony of the Resurrec- 
tion is the point insisted on in a successor (Acts 
i. 22). When St. Paul was to be added to the 
delegated band, he was especially favoured with 
the sight of the Lord in glory, and he thus 
appeals to the fact as* evidence of his Apos- 
tleship : " Have I not seen Jesus Christ our 
Lord?" (1 Cor. ix. 1). 

It has been sometimes asked, Why, if the 
identity of our Lord's Person would stand the 
test, He should have showed Himself (as St. 
Peter acknowledged) " not to all the people, but 
unto witnesses chosen before of God" (Acts x. 41 )? 
The reason was, because those, to whom Jesus 
was known in His life-time, were the only com- 



petent Witnesses of that personal identity ; and 
as to their number, that surely was sufficient, 
inasmuch as He was seen of above five hundred 
brethren at once (1 Cor. xv. 6). It was suf- 
ficient also in another respect : all great changes 
are effected by the deep-seated resolution of a 
few, whom the many follow. — The evidence 
which unbelievers call for would not have satis- 
fied them ; for it is certain that the under- 
standing is much under the influence of the will, 
and a succession of miracles (some even of this 
very sort) had in vain been wrought among the 
Jews. There was a moral impossibility, too, in 
their seeing the Lord after He was risen ; for 
they had not deserved this favour, and it is 
declared that " none but the pure in heart shall 
see God." If the fact of the Resurrection were 
to be made as clear as the presence of the sun 
at noon-day, then indeed none could attempt 
to contradict it ; but then it would have been 
positively known, — not "believed," accurately 
speaking, — and thus it would have extinguished 
faith. 

As to the credibility of the Witnesses who 
were chosen, greater proofs of sincerity never 
were, and never can, under any circumstances, 
be given by men, than were given by these. They 
left all they had in this world, — which, be it 
more or less, was accompanied with ease and 
innocence, — to prosecute a scheme, that ex- 
posed them to infinite sufferings ; and which, 
on the supposition of fraud, involved them in 
horrible guilt. They found, by sad experience, 
that if in this life only they had hope in Christ, 



394 



FTNAL INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN TO THE APOSTLES. 



f when the Comforter have seen — the great events of My life, of My death, and 
unto you from the Father, especially of My Resurrection : these ye are to shew forth to 
John xv. 26. mm as ^ e proofs of My divine mission. And behold, to fit 

e I will pour My Spirit . , 7 x .77 t „ 1 

upon thy seed. isa. xUv. you for this great and important work, 1 will shortly send 
8 And it shall come to u P on Y ou the promise of My Father, even the gift of the 
pass afterward, that i will Holy Spirit, f assurance of which He too has given you by the 

pour out My Spirit upon J7 „ TT . ^ , „ . , 

ail flesh. Joel ii. 28. mouth of His Prophets 3 But tarry ye here m the city qi 
& Then Peter said unto Jerusalem, until ye be endued with this power from on high. 
^eTe^eT-effyouTn And He said also unto them, Go ye into all the world, 
the name of Jesus Christ an d preach the Gospel to every creature (every human 

for the remission of sins. x 1 J \ «/ 

Acts ii. 38. being, whether Jew or Gentile) with whom you may have 

on^heLord Jesus Christ 3 , inter course. He that truly believeth, — proving his faith 

and ti^yhouse^ Andjiey ^ repentance and obedience, — and is baptized, 11 shall be 

spake unto him the Word saved : (3) for by virtue of such lively Faith and the grace of 

that were in his house: Baptism he shall be placed in a state of salvation, and 

and ail \S straSitway 6 ^ continued observance of his baptismal vow he shall 

Ac e xvi g 81 ~ 33- finally be saved : but he that believeth not, " loving dark- 

now savfus.* 1 ^^^!.^ ness rather than light because his deeds are evil," shall 

2L be damned. 1 ( 4 ) And these signs (5} shall shortly follow 

is condemned already n °! tnem tnat believe: in My name shall they cast out devils ; k 
o^hTm^oim^^is^e 11 sna ^ speak with new tongues 1 (in languages which 

—that they ail might be they had never learned); they shall take up serpents m 

damned who believed not 7 ™ 7 , i • i 1 n ,i • 

the Truth, but had plea- an( * suffer no harm ; and it they drink any deadly thing 
2TheS Yif te0USne&S ' ( an y P oison )> it shall not hurt them ; n they shall lay their 
, m , hands on the sick, and they shall recover. 0 

k Then came a rnulti- 

tude, bringing them which were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed every one. Acts v. 16. — And 
Paul said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ, to come out of her : and he came out the 
same hour. Acts xvi. 18. 

1 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them 
utterance. Acts ii. 4.— And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came upon them, and they 
spake with tongues. Acts xix. 6. 

m Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions. Luke x. 19. — There came a viper out of 
the heat, and fastened on Paul's hand, and he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Acts xxviii. 5. 

n And nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke x. 19. 

° There came a multitude bringing sick folks : and they were healed every one. Acts v. 16. 



they were of all men most miserable : still they 
could not but speak the things they had seen and 
heard, and they were ever ready, and even re- 
joiced, to suffer death in testimony of the Truth. 
The event, it is well known, did not disappoint 
their expectation, for the greater part of the 
Apostolic band sealed the truth of the Resurrec- 
tion with their blood. 

( 3 ) He that believeth and is baptized, shall be 
saved.] It is evident that Belief is here put for 
the Christian system in general ; for, just before, 
our Lord had told them that Repentance was to 
be preached in His name (Luke xxiv. 47) ; and 
again, when He showed Himself on the moun- 
tain, that they were to teach Obedience (Matt, 
xxviii. 20), of which universality, with continu- 
ance in well doing v is to be the test. 

( 4 ) He that believeth not shall be damned.'] 
Those who " believe not" are those who wilfully 
and from corrupt reasons resist the truth (John 
iii. 19) — not those who have never had the op- 
portunity of knowing it. No mention is here 
made of Baptism, as in the first and correspond- 
ing clause, because the nature of the case ren- 



dered it unnecessary : if a person truly believed, 
he was admitted to the necessary rite of Bap- 
tism ; if he did not believe, he was not baptized, 
for he was "condemned already:" the first step 
being wanting, of course the second did not 
follow. — The argument cannot be deduced from 
this text, that infants are incapable of Baptism, 
as being incapable of belief; for then, as faith is 
absolutely necessary, they could not (in case of 
early death) be saved at all. 

( 5 ) These signs.] Of the exercise of the gifts 
mentioned we have evidence in the testimo- 
nies of the earliest Christian writers, as well as 
in the page of Scripture. — With regard to poi- 
soning, it was carried to a great height about 
that time, and the Apostles would of course be 
much exposed to that description of danger from 
their unscrupulous enemies ; but of such cases, 
and of taking up serpents (of which only one 
instance is recorded in Scripture), it has seemed 
good to divine Providence to be silent, as mi- 
racles of this nature would be more liable to 
exceptions than those which were performed upon 
unbelievers. 



POWER IS CONFERRED FOR THE EXERCISE OF THE APOSTOLIC COMMISSION. 395 



Then said Jesus to them again. Peace be unto you: 
As My Father hath sent Me here to minister, to teach 

Salvation, and to "commit the same to faithful men;" even „, p f s T 1 hou h f st sent 

' " * Me into the world, even 

so send I youP, and appoint you as My Vicegerents upon so have i also sent them 

earth. And when He had said this, He breathed on them,( 6 > ^vh. lsf W ° rld * J ° hn 

as a significant token of that Spiritual power which they were Pr ~ s * he ° S our an prof£ 

soon more fully to receive in His name, and saith unto them, ?. ion > Christ Jesus. Heb. 
Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ve, 



Divinely assisted to discern the spirits of others, shall remit 
on the terms of the Gospel-covenant and declare to be for- 
given of God, they are remitted and forgiven unto them;^ 
and whose soever sins ye retain, — declaring that, according to ^hom i^gave^fo? 
to the conditions of the Gospel, they still lie under the guilt y™* ^ % 
of them, — they are retained. (7) Cor. ii. 10. 



SECTION CXL. 

Jesus gives His last blessing to His disciples, and is then 
taken up into heaven. 

Mark xvi. 19, 20. Luke xxiv. 50 — 53. John xx. 30, 31; xxi. 25. 

AND so then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, and 
had now given them sufficient proofs of His Resurrec- 
tion, He led them out of the city to the Mount of Olives — 
as far as to the verge of Bethany. And then He lifted up 
His hands and fervently blessed them. And it came to 
pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted by the 
Divine power from them ; and, being gradually carried up 
in their sight, was received up into Heaven, (1) to take 



( 6 ) He breathed on them.'] The symbolical 
sign which our Lord was here pleased to em- 
ploy, expressed (as nearly as such a subject could 
be adapted to human conception) the nature and 
the source of the particular influence which it 
was intended to illustrate. " God breathed into 
man the breath of life," it is said in the Book 
of Genesis (ii. 7). The word rendered "spirit" 
in Scripture denotes breath or air: hence the 
operations of the Holy Spirit are compared to the 
wind (John iii. 8). 

( 7 ) Whosesoever sins ye remit, Qc] These 
words must be received with limitation before 
they can be applied to the succeeding Ministers 
of Christ. The Apostles were miraculously en- 
dowed to know whether the conditions of the 
Gospel were complied with : thus they could, 
in any particular case, pronounce men to be 
in a state of acceptance with God, the only 
actual Absolver of Sin — for sin can only be com- 
mitted against Him (Ps. Ii. 4). Ministers can 
now only declare, that Pardon of sin and Sal- 
vation will be granted conditionally to all who 
seek it by the appointed means. They speak, 
however, with authority as ambassadors of God ; 
and though they cannot pretend to look into the 



hearts of their fellow-men, yet all who seek to 
them as ministers of reconciliation with Him, 
will receive that Divine blessing which has been 
annexed to the duly-appointed Ministry. 

(*) Was received up into Heaven. ] Thus our 
Lord ascended up in the presence of the dis- 
ciples, though He had not risen from the grave 
in their sight. This was proper : because His 
Resurrection was sufficiently proved by theii 
afterwards seeing Him alive ; but they could 
not know that He had been "received up " with- 
out actually witnessing that event. While 
they remained on earth, no number of them 
were to behold Him glorified in Heaven: Ste- 
phen alone (the first martyr in the cause of the 
Gospel), and the beloved Apostle, enjoyed that 
high privilege. 

The Saviour's Ascension, the crowning event 
of the Gospel scheme, had been typified under 
the Law by the High-priest's entering once every 
year into the Holy of Holies ; which showed (as 
St. Paul explains to us) " that the High-Priest 
of the good things to come, by a greater and 
more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, 
was to enter into the Holy Place, having ob- 



396 



JESUS IS RECEIVED UP INTO HEAVEN. 



■ Thou hast ascended possession of His Mediatorial throne : and He sat on the 
captivity captive. Ps. right hand of God a the Father — there to remain until His 

^ne Lord said unto my h(t made His footstool, 

Lord, sit Thou at My " And while they looked stedfastly toward Heaven as He 

Thin e h enem^ThyTot 6 went up, behold, two v angels in the form of "men stood by 

Sto Jesus P Ch5st L is gone th em ^ n white apparel ; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, 

into heaven, and is on the wn y stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, which 

right hand of God; an- . J _ J * V * > 

gels, and authorities, and is taken vp from you into Heaven, shall so come in like 
pSo^&TSta manner as ye have seen Him go intoHeaven" (Actsi. 10, 11). 
22 i , And thev, without a doubt remaining upon their minds. 

I overcame, and am set * i 

down with My Father in worshipped Him as God ; and then returned to Jerusalem 

His throne. Rev. in. 21 great joy, b now fully convinced how much fitter and 

and yn^h^^aiTS better it was that Jesus should be their Intercessor and 

joice," and your joy no Sovereign in heaven, than remain with them in the world, 

man taketh from vou. _ ■ . . 7 . _ 

John xvi. 22. " or become the Lord oj an earthly kingdom. — And, as long 

« —to offer burnt sacri- as they continued in the city, they were continually 0 in 

the S Altar ^of ^? bum! Temple at the appointed hours of prayer, praising and 

offering continually, mom- blessing God for these and all His other great mercies. 

xv1. a 40. eVemnS ° n And soon after, when they had received, according to the 

fronT^the 11 Temple d but Divine promise, the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit, 

served God with fastings they went forth, and preached the Gospel every where they 

and pravers night and .t -r t i • • i i i r • i 

day. Luke h. 37. came — the .Lord working with them, and confirming the 
wi^^'actrf^t; W ord with signs following d {with attendant miracles). 
Temple, praising God. And there are also many other things which Jesus did: 

Acts ii. 46, 47. . : . . & , ' ' 

and in particular many other signs (miracles) truly did Jesus, 
the Apostles were many and many other proofs gave He of His Messiahship, in the 

SSTKSTS P resence of His disci P les > which are not written in this 

v - 13 - book : e the which, if they should be written and recorded 

Long time therefore J . . 

abode thev, speaking every one, 1 suppose that even the world itseli could not 
^^o^tZ^e contain the books that should be written f «— so voluminous 

Word of His grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands. Acts xiv. 3. — God also bearing 
them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to 
His own will. Heb. ii. 4. 

e Woe unto thee, Chorazin ! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida ! for, if the mighty works which were done in you had 
been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, in sackcloth and ashes. Matt. xi. 21. 
f The land is not able to bear all his words. Amos vii. 10. 



tained eternal redemption for us" (Heb. ix. 11, 
12). The manner of our Lord's ascent is also 
remarkable : Elijah, the Restorer of the Law, 
had been taken up in a chariot of fire ; but the 
Author of a better Covenant was gently received 
up in a cloud — with that sort of meek and calm 
magnificence^ which bespeaks the peaceful genius 
of the Gospel. 

( 2 ) Even the world itself could not contain, 
<§-c] This is a strong Eastern and hyperbolical 
mode of expression, which, although carried 
higher than is practised in European languages, 
is not unfrequent in Scripture (see Gen. xi. 4 ; 
xv. 5 : Numb. xiii. 33 ; Dan. iv. 20 ; John xii. 
19). There are also instances of the same in 
the purest classical writers : Thus, Virgil speaks 
of a man "so tall as to reach the stars;" and 
Longinus, of one who was " owner of a piece of 
ground not larger than a Lacedaemonian letter" 
(see further instances, Eurip. Hipp. 1248, and 
Menalipp. frag. 22 ; ^Eschyl. Pers. 435). The 
plainest sense, then, of this passage of St. John 



is, that the remarkable actions and sayings of 
Jesus were exceedingly numerous, and many 
more than those recorded — a fact which is con- 
firmed as to His miracles by St. Matthew (xi. 
21), and as to His sayings in the Book of the 
Acts (xx. 35), where St, Paul quotes certain 
words of our Saviour not recorded in any of 
the Gospels. — But another sense has been given 
to this passage, which well deserves attention, 
although involving a verbal difficulty. The word 
rendered " contain " is elsewhere repeatedly 
rendered " receive" (as it is twice at Matt. xix. 
11, 12). Thus the sense would be, that so asto- 
nishing were the miracles of Jesus not recorded, 
that the world would not have received them, 
deeming them absolutely incredible. 

It is clear, however, with either of the above 
interpretations, that this History of the Life, 
Death, and Resurrection of Our Blessed Lord 
has been, both as to its bulk and its matter, under 
the direction of an all-wise and over-ruling Provi- 
dence, and that it is perfectly accommodated to 



THE GOSPEL WRITTEN THAT WE MIGHT BELIEVE IN JESUS AS THE LORD. 397 

would they prove to be. But these things are briefly and * We are in Him that 

plainly written, that ye might more readily believe this j eS us ChrLT Thfe u toe 

great and leading truth which they are intended to teach, °i John™ 1 20 temal 

That J esus is the Christy the only-begotten Son of God ; s h There is none other 

and that; so believing, ye might have Eternal Life through among U men,^hereby 

His all-prevailing name. h AMEN. must be saved. Actsiv.12. 



its great purpose of the good of mankind. Enough 
is given, even in this portion of the New Testa- 
ment, for our guidance. Here may the root and 
foundation of every article of our Faith be found, 
and if we may be permitted to make any dis- 
tinction between Books all alike inspired, we 
must chiefly honour those in which the Son of 
God speaks the most in His own Person. 

And here, in conclusion, let us observe of these 
Writers of Truth, how much (notwithstanding 
that each has his peculiar style) simplicity is the 
characteristic of all. They lay before us nothing 
but facts, and are at no pains to make them ap- 
pear credible, or excite an interest in the reader. 
Equally certain of the truth of all which they 
advance, the most signal miracles and the most 
ordinary events are narrated in the same tone, as 
by faithful witnesses, whose business it was to 
testify and not to argue. They neither explain 
nor command, promise nor threaten, commend 
nor blame ; but preserve one even tenour, report- 



ing what was said or done by the enemies or 
friends of their Master, without any encomiums 
on the one, or invectives against the other. As 
to their Lord, they appear to consider His cha- 
racter as infinitely superior to any praise they 
could bestow : they do not presume to offer even 
the tribute of their admiration, and instead of 
pointing out the wisdom and virtue of the Sa- 
viour's life, they leave it to speak for itself. 
Unlettered as they were, and indifferent to the 
ornaments of style, they have drawn for us a 
Pattern of Excellence, moral and intellectual, in- 
finitely surpassing all that ever before has been, 
or ever will again be described : in their pages 
we see the developement of a Perfect Character, 
brightening in trial, and consummated in 
death. The admired wish of the heathen, that 
Virtue should assume a human shape, has been 
fulfilled — the Divinity has " come down to us in 
the likeness of men." 



TABLES 



BY WHICH ANY PASSAGE FROM THE COMMON VERSION MAY BE FOUND, 
WITH ITS CONTEXT, IN THIS WORK. 

St. MATTHEW. 



Chapters. 


Verses. 


Sections. 


Pages. 




Chapters. 


"Verses. 


Sections. 


Pages. 


I. 


1—17 
18—25 
25 


9 
7 
11 


16—18 
14 — 15 
20—22 




XV. 


1—20 

Zl — Zo 

29 

30—39 


64 

DO 

66 
67 


164—167 

168 — 109 

169— 170 

170— 171 


II. 


1—12 
13—22 
23 


12 
13 
14 


22—24 
24-26 
26—28 








XVI. 


1—12 
13—20 
21—28 


■ 68 

70 
71 


172—173 
175—177 
177—178 






15 
16 
19 
17 


28—30 
30—31 
35—37 
32—33 






III. 


1— 6 
7-10 

11 19 

13—17 




XVII. 


1 13 

14—21 
22—27 


72 
73 
74 


I79, 181 

182—184 
184—185 








XVIII. 


1 35 


75 


186 192 


IV. 


1—11 

12 

13—16 
17 


18 
27 
29 
27 


33—35 
55—56 
59 

55—56 
59 — 61 
64 






XIX. 


1—12 
13—15 
16—30 


95 
99 
100 


248—250 

260— 261 

261— 265 




18—22 
23—25 


30 
32 




XX. 


1—16 
17—28 


100 
101 


261—265 
266—268 


V. 


1—48 


41 


81—98 






29—34 


102 


269—273 


VI 


1—34 


41 


81—98 




XXI. 


1—11 
12, 13 


104 
105 


276—279 
280—283 


VII. 


1—29 


41 


81—98 






14—17 

io i n 

lo, l\) 


104 
i nek 


276—279 

Zo\) — Zoo 


VIII. 


1 

2— 4 


42 
33 


101—102 

65— 66 






20—27 
28—46 


106 
107 


283—286 
287—291 




5—13 
14—17 
18—27 
28—34 


42 
31 
53 
54 


101—102 

62— 63 
129—131 
131—135 




XXII. 


1—14 

15—33 

QA Ad 

04 — 4o 


107 

108 
iuy 


287—291 
291—294 

nne one 

zvo — z\jo 


IX. 


1 

2— 8 
9 


54 
34 
35 
55 
56 
57 

58 


131—135 
66— 67 
68 




YVT1T 


1 — 22 

23—36 
37—39 


1 in 

I1U 

49 

85 


zvj — zyy 
116—120 
225—227 




10—17 
18—26 
27—34 
35—38 


135—137 
137—140 

140— 141 

141— 142 




XXIV. 


1—28 

29-39 
40, 41 

42 

43—51 


112 
113 
112 
113 

83 


300—306 
307—309 
300—306 
307—309 
219—224 


X. 


1 

2— 4 


59 
40 


142—148 
79— 80 








XXV. 


1—46 


114 


309—314 




5—42 


59 


142—148 




XXVI. 


1— 5 


115 


315—316 


XI. 


2—19 
20—24 
25—30 


59 
44 
45 
81 


42—148 
iU4— 107 
107—108 
214—216 






6—13 
14—16 
17—20 
21-25 
26—30 


103 
115 
116 
117 
118 


274—276 

315— 316 

316— 319 
320-322 
323—330 


XII. 


1— 8 
9—15 
15—21 
22—37 
38—42 
43—45 
46—50 


37 
38 
39 
47 
48 
47 
49 


74— 75 

76- 77 

77- 79 
110—114 
114—115 
110—114 
116—120 






31, 32 
33—35 
36—46 
47—56 
57, 58 
59—68 
69—75 


119 
117 
121 
122 
123 
124 
123 


330—338 
320—322 
343—345 
345—348 
349—351 
352—354 
349—351 


XIII. 


1—23 
24—30 
31 — 35 
36—43 
44—53 
54—58 


50 
51 
52 
51 
52 
58 


120—124 
124—125 
126—129 
124—125 
126—129 
141—142 




XXVII. 


1, 2 
3—10 
11—14 
15—31 
31—34 
35—44 
45—56 
57—66 


125 
127 
125 
126 
128 
129 
130 
131 


355—358 
363—364 
355—358 
358—363 

365— 366 

366— 369 
370—372 
372—375 


XIV. 


1, 2 
3— 5 
6—12 
13—23 
24—36 


60 
25 
60 
61 
62 


149—151 
49— 50 
149—151 
151—154 
155—156 










XXVIII. 


1—10 
11—15 
16—20 


132 
133 
138 


376—379 
380 

388—392 



400 



TABLES. 



St. MARK, 



Chapters. 


Verses. 


Sections. 


Pages. 


I. 


1 — 6 


15 


28 — 30 




7, 8 


19 


35—37 




9—11 


17 


32—33 




12, 13 


18 


33—35 




14, 15 


27 


55—56 




16 — 20 


30 


59 — 61 




21, 22 


29 


59 




23—34 


31 


62 — 63 




35 — 39 


32 


64 




40 — 45 


33 


65 — 66 


II. 


1—12 


34 


66— 67 




13, 14 


35 


68 




15 — 22 


55 


135 — 137 




23—28 


37 


74- 75 


TTT 
111. 


1 — 6 


38 


76— 77 




7—12 


39 


77— 79 




13 — 19 


40 


79— 80 




19—21 


43 


102—103 




22—30 


47 


110—114 | 




31—35 


49 


116—120 j 


IV. 


1—25 


50 


I 

120 — 124 




26 — 34 


52 


126 — 129 1 




35—41 


53 


129—131 


V. 


1 — 21 


54 


131—135 




22 — 43 


56 


137—140 


VI. 


1— 6 


58 


141—142 




T 1 Q 

7 — io 


59 


142—148 




1 A 1 ft 
14 — lO 


60 


149 — 151 




i T on 


25 


49 — 50 




oi on 
Zl — 29 


60 


149 — 151 




30—46 


61 


151—154 




47—56 


62 


X.OO luU 


VII. 


1—23 


64 


164—167 




24—30 


65 


168—169 




31—37 


66 


169—170 


VIII. 


1—10 


67 


170—171 




11—21 


68 


172—173 




22—26 


69 


174 




27—30 


70 


175-177 




31-38 


71 


177—178 



Chapters. 


Verses. 


Sections. 


Pages. 


IX. 


1 


71 


177-178 




2—13 


72 


179— 181 




14—29 


73 


182—184 




30—33 


74 


184—185 




33 


75 


1 QC 1 no 

lob — 192 


X. 


1-12 


95 


248—250 




13—16 


99 


260—261 




17—31 


100 


261—265 




32—45 


101 


266—268 




A fi SO 

4o— Oj 


102 


269 — 273 


XI. 


1—11 


104 


276—279 




10 in 

VI — iy 


105 


280 — 283 




on 00 
A\i — 66 


106 


286- — 286 


XII. 


1—12 


107 


287—291 




13—27 


108 


291—294 




28—37 


109 


295—296 




38—40 


110 


297—299 




41—44 


111 


299—300 


XIII. 


1 — 23 


112 


300 306 




24 37 


13 


307 30Q 


XIV. 


1, 2 


115 


315—316 




3— 9 


103 


274 276 




10, 11 


115 


315 316 




12—17 


116 


316 319 




18—21 


117 


320 322 




22—26 


118 


323 — 330 




27, 28 


119 


330—338 




^y — ay 


117 


*.ion 000 




32—42 


121 


343—345 




43—52 


122 


345—348 




53, 54 


123 


349—351 




55—65 


124 


352—354 




66—72 


123 


349—351 


XV. 


1— 5 


125 


355—358 




6—20 


126 


358—363 




20—23 


128 


365—366 




24—32 


129 


366—369 




33—41 


130 


370—372 




42—47 


131 


372—375 


XVI. 


1—11 


132 


376—379 




12 


135 


382—385 




13, 14 


136 


385—386 




15—18 


139 


393—395 




19, 20 


140 


395—397 



TABLES. 



401 



St. 



Chapters. 


Verses. 


Sections. 


Pages. 


T 
1. 


1 A 

1 L k 


1 


j 




5—25 


3 


5- 7 




26—38 


4 


8— 9 




39—56 


5 


10 — 11 




57—80 


6 


12 — 13 


tt 
11. 




8 


15 16 




8—20 


10 


19— 20 




21—39 


11 


20— 22 




40—52 


14 


26- 28 


TTT 
111. 


I Q 


15 


28 — 30 




7 11 


16 


39 31 




10— — iO 


19 


35 37 




1Q 90 

13) AU 


25 


49 59 




21—23 


17 


32— 33 




23—38 


9 


16— 18 


TV 

XV. 


\ |3 


18 


33— 35 




14 15 


27 


55 56 




16 39 


28 


56 58 




31, 32 


29 


59 




33—41 


31 


62— 63 




42—44 


32 


64 


V . 




30 


59 6i 




12 16 


33 


65 66 




17—26 


34 


66— 67 




27, 28 


35 


68 




29—39 


55 


135—137 


VT 


I 5 


37 


74 75 




6—11 


38 


76— 77 




12—17 


40 


79— 80 




17—19 


39 


77— 79 




20—49 


41 


81— 98 


VTT 
V 11. 


1 io 


42 


191 192 | 




ii — i > 


43 


192 103 




18—35 


44 


194—107 




36—50 


46 


108—110 1 


VTTT 
V 111. 


1 3 


47 


119 114 I 




4 ]8 


50 


129 124 




19 21 


49 


116 120 




22 25 


53 


129 131 




26 40 


54 


131 135 




41 5g 


56 


137 149 


IX. 


1— 6 


59 


— 

142—148 




7— 9 


60 


149—151 




10—17 


61 


151—154 




18 — 21 


70 


175— 177 




22 27 


71 


177 178 




28 39 


79 
1 a 


1^9 181 




37 43 


7^ 

40 


182 184 




A^K A<\ 

<±G 40 


71 


1 QA 




49 59 


75 


189 192 




51—56 


92 


243 




57—62 


53 


129—131 


A., 


1 1 9 

1 LA 


1R 
/o 


I93 194 




1 0 — 10 


45 


I97 198 




1 fi 
ID 


7fi 


193 194 




1 1 OA 
1 / A'i 


fil 
01 


911 91R 

AL*i ALU 




AO — 0/ 


fi9 
OA 


91fi 91fl 




38—42 


96 


250—252 


XI. 


1-13 


41 


81— 98 




14, 15 


47 


110—114 




16 


48 


114—115 




17-28 


47 


110—114 




29—32 


48 


114—115 




33—36 


41 


81— 98 




37—54 


49 


116—120 



Chapters. 


Verses. 


Sections. 


ge . 


XII. 


1 


68 


172—173 




2— 9 


59 


142—148 




1 A 


A *7 


110 — 114 




11, 12 


59 


142 148 




13—21 


83 


219 — 224 




i 22—34 


41 


81 — 98 




* 35—48 


83 


219—224 




49—53 


59 


142—148 




54—57 


83 


219—224 




58, 59 


41 


81 98 


XIII. 


1 — 9 


83 


219 — 224 




10—17 


84 


224—225 




18 — 21 


52 


126 — 129 




99 ^ii 

A A OO 


00 


90s 097 

Aao — A A 4 


XIV. 


1—24 


86 


228—230 


I 


25 — 35 


87 


231—232 


XV. 

1 


1—32 


88 


232—235 


9 XVI. 


1 — 31 


89 


236—239 


XVII. 


1—10 


90 


240—241 




11—19 


91 


241—242 




20—37 


93 


244 — 246 


XVIII. 


1—14 


94 


246—248 




15—17 


99 


260—261 


J 


18—30 


100 


261 — 265 


1 


31 — 34 


101 


266 — 268 




35 — 43 


102 


269—273 


XIX. 


1—28 


102 


269—273 


1 


29—44 


104 


276—279 


1 


45 — 48 


105 


280 — 283 


I xx - 


1 — 8 


106 


283 — 286 




9—19 


107 


287—291 




20—40 


108 


291—294 




41—44 


109 


295 — 296 


1 


45 — 47 


110 


297 — 299 


XXI. 


1 — 4 


111 


299—300 




5—24 


112 


309 — 396 




25—36 


113 


307—309 




37, 38 


114 


309 — 314 


XXII. 


1— 6 


115 


315—316 




7-14 


116 


316—319 




15—20 


118 


323—330 




21—23 


117 


320—322 




— 01) 


1 io 


'■i 1 ft Q 1 Q 




31, 32 


119 


330 338 




33, 34 


117 


320 — 322 




35 49 


119 


339 338 




41 46 


121 


343_345 




47—53 


122 


345 348 




54—62 


123 


349—351 




63—71 


124 


352—354 


XXIII. 


1 <? 


125 


QnS 




8 25 


126 


358 363 




26 32 


128 


365 366 




33—43 


129 


366—369 




44—49 


130 


370—372 




50—56 


131 


372—375 


XXIV. 




134 


381 — 382 




13—33 


135 


382—385 




33—43 


136 


385—386 




44—49 


139 


393—395 




50—53 


140 


395-397 



2 D 



402 



TABLES. 



St. JOHN. 



Chapters. 


Verses. 


Sections. 


Pages. 


I. 


1—18 


2 


2— 4 




19—28 


19 


35— 37 




29—51 


20 


37— 40 


II. 


1—11 


21 


40— 42 




12—25 


22 


42— 44 


III. 


1—21 


23 


44— 47 




22—36 


24 


47— 49 


IV. 


1—42 


26 


50— 55 




43 


27 


55— 56 




44 


28 


56- 58 




40 — 04 




oo — uo 


V. 


1-47 


36 


68— 74 


VI. 


1—15 


61 


151—154 




1 ft 9 1 
lO Zl 




ICC 1 C(> 

lOO 100 




22—71 


63 


157— J 64 


V 11. 


I 


uo 


157 164 




2—53 


77 


194—200 


VIII. 


1—11 


78 


200—202 




12—59 


79 


202—208 


IX. 


1—41 


80 


208—214 


X. 


1—21 


80 


208—214 




22—42 


97 


252—254 


XI. 


1—54 


98 


255—260 




^5—57 


103 


274—276 



Chapters. 


Verses. 


Sections. 




XII. 


1 — 11 


103 


274—276 




12—19 


104 


276—279 




20 — 36 


105 


280 — 283 




37—50 


106 


283—286 


XIII. 


1—20 


116 


316—319 




21—38 


117 


320—322 


XIV. 


1—31 


118 


323—330 


XV. 


1 — 27 


119 


330—338 


XVI. 


1—33 


119 


330—338 


XVII. 


1—26 


120 


339—343 


XVIII. 


1 


121 


343 — 345 




2—12 


122 


345—348 




13—18 


123 


349—351 




19—23 


124 


352—354 




24—27 


123 


349—351 




28—38 


125 


355—358 




39, 40 


126 


358—363 


XIX. 


1—16 


126 


358—363 




16, 17 


128 


365—366 




18 — 27 


129 


366 — 369 




28—30 


130 


370—372 




31—42 


131 


372—375 


XX. 


1—18 


132 


376—379 




19, 20 


136 


385—386 




21—23 


139 


393—395 




24—29 


137 


387—388 




30, 31 


140 


395—397 


XXI. 


1—24 


138 


388—392 




25 


140 


395—397 



403 



INDEX TO THE PRINCIPAL NOTES. 



Agony of Christ at Gethsemane, Section cxxi., 
Note 4. 

Almsgiving, the duty of the Christian, xli., 22; 

lxxxvi, 3: Public, not forbidden on fitting 

occasions, xli., 25. 
Angels, ministers of Divine Providence, x., 2. 
Ascension of Christ, cxl., 1. 
Austerity, not required of the Christian, xxi., 2. 
Baptism, a Jewish rite, xv., 7 : Regeneration, the 

grace of, under the Christian Covenant, xxiii., 

2 : Infants, fit recipients of, xcix., 1. 
Birth of Christ, probable date of, x., 1. 
CHRIST, a Prophet like unto Moses, lxi., 13: 

considered as a Teacher, lxxvii., 9 : His human 

compassion, xcviii., 4. 
Church, the perpetuity of, lxx., 4. 
Civil Power, obedience to, enjoined, cviii., 3. 
Conversion, shewn in the case of Zaccheus, cii., 6. 
Demoniacal Possession, reality of, xxxi.,1 ; liv., 3. 
Divinity of Christ, ii. 1 ; xxxvi., 5 — 7; liv., 6; 

lix., 1, 13; lxiii., 4; lxxvii., 4; lxxix., 10; 

xcvii., 5, 6 ; cix. 5. 
Election, c, 10. 

Fasting, one of the Christian duties, xli., 34. 
Freedom of the Human Will, always supposed in 

Scripture, lviii., 3; lxiii. 8; cvi., 1, 
Future Happiness, what is revealed concerning, 

li., 2 : Degrees of Bliss in Heaven, cii., 9. 
Future Punishment, Eternity of, lxxv., 7 ; cxiv., 

10. 

Holy Trinity, the characteristic doctrine of Scrip- 
ture, and always received in the Church, 
cxxxviii., 2 : illustrated from particular pas- 
sages, xi., 5; xvii., 3; xxii., 4; lix. 6; cxix., 
4. 

Holy Spirit, influence of, upon the Christian, 
xxiii., 3: His Titles and Divinity, cxviii., 12: 
Blasphemy against, xlvii., 6. 

Intercessory Prayer of Christ, cxx., 1. 

Intermediate State, lxxxix., 4. 

JESUS, meaning of the name, iv., 4. 

Justification, the free gift of God for Christ's 
sake alone, but dependent on the two condi- 
tions of Faith and Obedience, xli., 45. 

Last Words of Christ, cxxx., 2. 

Lord's Supper, probable prophetic allusion to, by 
Christ, lxiii. 11 ; the Protestant doctrine con- 
cerning, cxviii., 4,6; importance of frequent 
communion, cxviii., 5. 

Love of the Brethren, a characteristic Christian 
duty, cxvii., 4. 

Love of Reputation, the true principle of, ciii., 6. 



Ministers, promise of perpetual assistance to, 
cxxxviii., 3; authority of, cxxxix.,7. 

Miracles, criteria of true, xxi., 6 ; those of 
Christ as distinguished from those of the Old 
Covenant, lvii., 1, 

Oaths, forbidden in common conversation; not 
when used judicially, xli., 17, 18. 

Obedience, an indispensable condition of Salva- 
tion, xxiv. 5 : Our Lord's commendation of, 
xlix. 2 ; c, 1. 

Parables, meaning of the word, xlvii., 4 ; their 

peculiar fitness as a mode of teaching, 1., -2. 
Perseverance, the test of holiness, lxxxv., 1. 
Peter, the question of his supremacy, lxx., 3, 5. 
Prayer, perseverance in, enjoined, xli., 32 ; xciv., 

1: prevailing influence of, lxxv., 13; cvi., 3; 

the Lord's Prayer a precedent for Forms of 

Prayer, xli., 28. 
Private Judgment, the right of, considered, lxxxiii., 

9. 

Progression, the nature of the Christian life, lii., 

Propagation of the Gospel from the earliest times, 

as predicted by our Lord, lii., 3 ; cxii., 11. 
Prophecy, a Witness for Christ, cxxxv., 2. 

Rash judgments, danger of forming, lxxxiii., 11. 

Relapse, danger of, cxiv., 3. 

Repentance, Late, in the case of the Penitent 

Malefactor, cxxix., 4. 
Resurrection of Christ, the great evidence of the 

truth of the Gospel, cxxxii., 4 : the sufficient 

testimony of the Witnesses chosen, cxxxix., 2. 
Resurrection of the souls and bodies of men, 

taught under both Covenants, cviii., 6. 
Sabbath,the fit observance of, xxxvii., 5 ; xxxviii., 

2 : the change from the Seventh to the First 

day, cxxxvi., 4. 
Self-Denial, limits of this duty, c, 3. 
Separatists, proper treatment of, lxxv., 3 ; xcii., 

2. 

Sickness, the visitation of God, xxxvi., 4. 
So?i of Man, why assumed as a distinctive title by 
our Lord, xx., 9. 

Temptation of Christ, xviii., 7. 
Transfiguration of Christ, lxxii., 4. 
Types, meaning of the term, xxiii., 5. 

Unbelief, the fault of man, cvi., 1 : not to be 

overcome by miracles, lxxxix., 7. 
Unity, the great importance of, cxx., 6. 

Virgin Mary, vii., 5 ; xxi. 3; xlix., 1. 

Works, can never be meritorious, xc. , 5. 



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